Porto, Portugal, April 14, 2026 (Lusa) – The Environment and Energy minister, Maria da Graça Carvalho, said that Portugal remained far from the criteria necessary to declare an energy crisis, revealing that the European Commission was drafting a temporary regulation to assist sectors most vulnerable to volatile energy prices.
“We are not yet at that stage [of meeting the criteria] and I think that at the moment we are actually far from meeting those criteria”, she said.
“In any case, to prevent whatever may happen, the European Commission is holding an informal meeting on 23 and 24 April with the heads of state and government, and has sent us a public consultation with the member states, on a new regulation from the Directorate-General for Competition, a temporary regulation to help the sectors most exposed to energy prices,” she added.
Speaking to journalists as she left the 15th Forum of Environmental Engineering Students, taking place on Tuesday at the University of Porto Faculty of Engineering, she said that even if the crisis criteria were not met, everything would be ready.
On 20 March, she said that Portugal was close to meeting the criteria for declaring an energy crisis.
Additionally, she told journalists that the country was approaching the criteria for declaring an energy crisis, adding that the government was currently analysing and quantifying various support measures.
Regarding the remarks from late March, she explained that at that time, gas prices had risen very rapidly.
“That was when the attack on Qatar’s gas supplies took place. Then the price of gas stabilised; now the price of fuel has even fallen," she said.
“In any case, when the negotiations broke down, it rose again; the price per barrel is now back above $100, but just now news has arrived that negotiations are set to resume.”
“Let’s hope these negotiations are successful. If we can reach an agreement and there are no problems with the territories, within a reasonable timeframe, we will manage to avoid a crisis,” she added.
Expressing hope that negotiations between the US and Iran would progress positively, she also highlighted the importance of a coordinated European response, saying that if the situation were to drag on for several months, the country would have to be prepared.
“It is important that we coordinate at the European level so that there is no distortion of the internal market, particularly in countries that are interconnected, as we are with the rest of Europe.”
“If one country provides much more support than the others, it distorts competition across the board, and that is detrimental to Europe as a whole,” she said.
The German government announced on Monday a package of measures worth €1.6 billion to ease the burden of fuel prices on consumers and businesses.
When asked whether the Portuguese government was considering adopting similar individual measures, she said that a set of measures within the limits permitted by the European Union was very important to ensure uniformity in how aid was provided, adding that this approach mirrored the strategy used in 2022.
She acknowledged concerns about diesel and aviation fuel, but reiterated that Portugal was better protected than other member states and countries around the world.
“When it comes to electricity generation, we are very well protected; over 80% of our energy comes from renewable sources,” she said.
“The price of gas rarely dictates the price of electricity, because most of the time it is renewable energy that dictates the price of electricity, so we are very well protected in that regard.”
“On the other hand, almost all our imports [of fossil fuels] come from the Atlantic: Brazil, Nigeria, the United States and also Algeria,” she concluded.
PFT/MYAL // ADB.
Lusa
