Prime Minister Delivers First Christmas Message
On the sensitive topics of immigration and security, Montenegro pledged to promote regulated immigration to welcome those who choose to live and work in Portugal with dignity and humanity.
What?
In his inaugural Christmas message as Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro addressed the Portuguese public with an optimistic outlook, emphasizing the government’s commitment to economic growth, higher wages, housing investments, and regulated immigration.
“We are addressing the most urgent issues while implementing strategic and structural transformations. We decided to lower taxes on work and pensions and passed the first budget in living memory that doesn’t raise a single tax. We’ve also updated all pensions without resorting to gimmicks,” Montenegro stated in a video shared on social media.
The Prime Minister highlighted the importance of fiscal discipline in achieving these goals. He described the reduction of taxes and the increase in salaries as central elements of his government’s economic and social policy.
“We want to reward hard work to stimulate productivity, grow the economy, and ensure greater social justice,” he said, reflecting the administration’s priorities during the festive season.
Touching on the sensitive topics of immigration and security, Montenegro pledged to promote regulated immigration to welcome those who choose to live and work in Portugal with dignity and humanity. He also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to fighting crime and drug trafficking.
“Portugal is one of the safest countries in the world, but we must safeguard this asset to ensure it is not lost,” he cautioned, referencing recent discussions sparked by a report from the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation and a police operation in Lisbon's Martim Moniz area, which drew public criticism from 21 prominent figures.
Montenegro described 2023 as a “year of change,” distancing his administration from the previous Socialist governments without explicitly criticizing them.
Instead, he focused on his government’s accomplishments over the past seven months. These included measures for young people, such as extending the IRS Jovem tax break and providing public guarantees for housing loans, as well as additional benefits for seniors, like the solidarity supplement and extraordinary pension increases.
The Prime Minister also noted agreements reached with social partners to raise the national minimum wage and average wages, and the progress made in improving pay for key public sector workers, including teachers, police officers, military personnel, healthcare staff, and prison system employees.
Looking ahead, Montenegro promised that Portugal would continue to prioritize a green economy and sustainability metrics.
He announced plans to encourage the construction of homes for sale and rent at moderate prices, aiming to address the country’s housing crisis.
Montenegro concluded with holiday wishes for all Portuguese people, extending special thoughts to women and children who are victims of violence, the sick, the unemployed, and those living in poverty. He also recognized the efforts of healthcare workers, security forces, social workers, firefighters, journalists, and military personnel on duty during the festive season.
“In a world in turmoil, with military and trade wars creating uncertainty, and a Europe concerned with Germany's stagnation and France’s deficit and debt, Portugal stands as a beacon of stability and a land of opportunity,” Montenegro affirmed. He expressed confidence in the nation’s ability to create the wealth needed to sustain its social welfare system and ensure equal opportunities for all.
Reactions
Opposition parties accused PM Luís Montenegro of painting an overly optimistic picture of Portugal’s situation, alleging that his portrayal contrasts sharply with the reality faced by many Portuguese citizens.
Some went as far as to claim that the Prime Minister is living in an “oasis” that ignores the challenges on the ground. Among the reactions to the PM’s Christmas message, only the Social Democratic Party (PSD) offered support, emphasizing the “message of hope for the future” and the measures planned for the coming year.
“There is no point in presenting a highly election-focused narrative of a country that does not reflect the reality known to the Portuguese people, and to which the Government has not, in fact, contributed," said Alexandra Leitão, leader of the Socialist Party (PS) parliamentary group.
Leitão criticized the Government for allegedly fostering a false perception of insecurity and exploiting it to pursue a populist approach to public safety. She accused the administration of occasionally overstepping and politicizing police forces in its handling of these issues.
Liberal Rui Rocha said that Montenegro presented himself to the Portuguese “with an exhausted political project” after having spent his energies on approving the State Budget and laments the lack of “reformist will”.
On behalf of the communists, Jaime Toga, criticised Luís Montenegro’s idea that there has been a change in political life: “The PM is talking to us about a country that is not the country we encounter on a daily basis, in which two million Portuguese live below the poverty line, 300,000 of whom are children. He doesn’t tell us about the fact that there are a million pensioners with pensions below 500 euros, or that there are 19 economic groups that profit 32 million euros a day.”
Speech Translation
Dear Portuguese people,
I wish you happy holidays with your families, your friends, your community.
May this Christmas and the new year bring you joy, health and tranquillity.
On this occasion, I would like to say a special word to those who feel or find themselves alone and unprotected.
To those who are victims of violence, in particular the many women and children who are living or have lived through the inhuman terror of an attack on their dignity.
Those who are ill, unemployed, living in poverty and in poverty and all those who are deprived of their full freedom.
We are doing everything we can to help you overcome your difficulties and to open up a horizon of hope for the future.
I also salute those who are working in hospitals, in the security forces, in social security forces, social institutions, the fire brigade, the media and in all the other activities that enable the well-being of generality these days.
Your spirit of solidarity is priceless.
And I also renew our gratitude to our soldiers who are absent from the country and are part of our national forces deployed on peace and security missions.
Portuguese people,
The year that is now coming to an end was a year of turnaround and change.
The new government has brought new priorities and new choices.
We didn’t come to look at or criticise the past.
We came to look after the present and build the future.
We are resolving the most urgent issues, while at the same time we have been implementing strategic and structural transformations.
We decided to lower taxes on labour and pensions, and we even approved the first budget in living memory that doesn’t increase a single tax.
Still on the tax front, we have adopted impactful measures for young people who we want to stay and work in Portugal, with their friends, their parents and grandparents.
On the other hand, we agreed in social dialogue to increase the SMN, while at the same time stimulating an increase in the average wage.
At the same time, we agreed with the trade unions to generally increase the salaries of state workers and we have been improving the key sectors of the public administration, such as teachers, policemen, teachers, police officers, the armed forces, justice officials, the prison system and the health sector.
At the same time, we updated all pensions without any tricks, increased the solidarity supplement for the elderly twice the elderly and utilised part of the available budget to an extraordinary supplement to pensions of up to 1527 euros.
Dear Portuguese people,
This new policy of lowering taxes and increasing the value of wages and pensions is being carried out with rigour and budgetary balance and is an element of economic and social policy.
We want to reward labour in order to stimulate productivity and the country’s economy, and to guarantee greater social justice.
Portuguese,
In a world in turmoil, with military and commercial wars generating uncertainty and unpredictability;
In a Europe apprehensive about German stagnation and the French deficit and debt; Portugal is a benchmark for stability and a country of opportunities.
That's why I want to talk to you about the future and hope.
Portugal is on the move.
We will continue to reform the health services and guarantee a quality public school, from nursery school onwards.
quality public schools, from nursery school to university, without forgetting vocational and technological education.
We're going to be a country with more green mobility, better public transport in an economy that is a friend and partner of environmental sustainability.
We are going to promote regulated immigration, to welcome with dignity and humanism those who choose to live and work in our country.
We will make the biggest investment in public housing since the 1990s and we are going to incentivise the construction for sale and rental of homes at moderate prices.
We will combat economic crime, drug trafficking and violent crime. We are one of the safest countries in the world, but we have to safeguard that asset so that we don't lose it.
Portugal has everything to win!
Portugal has everything to create more wealth!
Only by creating more wealth will we be able to bring together the parents and grandparents with the children and grandchildren in Portugal.
It is only by creating more wealth that we will be able to continue to save the welfare state, fulfilling the essence of democracy and justice, which is equal opportunities.
In this year of 2024, when we commemorate the 500th anniversary of the birth of Luis de Camões and the death of Vasco da Gama, major symbols of our history, our culture and our universalism;
And in the year in which we celebrate the 50th anniversary of 25 April and the 90th and 100th the birthdays of two of the artisans of our democracy, Francisco Sá Carneiro and Mário Soares, respectively,
We are all called upon to apply the inspiration that these ephemeris give us to the future.
The Government believes in your capacity to overcome, in your spirit of solidarity and tolerance.
We work together to leave no-one behind.
And with a sense of unity, I wish all of you and your families a Merry Christmas and a prosperous 2025!
(Original version available here).