Portugal’s prime minister, Antonio Costa, announced some of the measures included in the state budget for 2019 during the Socialist party’s “summer party” in Coimbra, northern Portugal, on 25 August and said “budgetary rigour” would not be at stake despite the new measures.
Portugal is aiming for 2.3 percent growth next year and a deficit of 0.2 percent of GDP, as well as reducing public debt to 118.4 percent.
Portugal’s Socialist government, which is backed by the Left Bloc and Communist party in parliament, has already reversed many austerity measures imposed by the former centre-right government under an international bailout from 2011-2014.