Miranda do Corvo, Coimbra, Portugal, June 1, 2026 (Lusa) - The Portuguese cabinet office minister said on Monday that the international tender to ensure the distribution of newspapers in rural areas is important to ensure that no one is denied access to the press, and he expects it to be concluded in the summer.
“No one should be deprived of newspapers. It is an industry undergoing transformation, but ensuring that there continues to be a free press, accessible to all citizens throughout the country, is a priority for the government,” said António Leitão Amaro in Miranda do Corvo, in the region of Coimbra, on the sidelines of the Municipal Holiday celebrations.
On Tuesday, the Government will launch a €3 million international public tender to ensure the daily distribution of printed newspapers in low-density areas over the next three years.
According to the Cabinet office minister, changes in recent years in the inland population and newsstand sales have made distribution increasingly unsustainable, and this tender “supports newspaper distribution” across the country.
“Essentially, it provides support to fund distribution in areas where it is most expensive per newspaper sold in very sparsely populated areas,” he maintained.
The tender, provided for in the Media Action Plan, will have an annual budget of €1 million and will be divided into two lots: one for the North and Centre regions and another for Lisbon and the Tagus Valley, the Alentejo and the Algarve.
“The public tender ensures coverage across the whole country. The support is designed to fund routes to the 96 districts where distribution would be less profitable and even unprofitable, and so there is an undertaking of a public service obligation on the part of the successful bidder, and the state pays for that public service,” he emphasised.
António Leitão Amaro added that the measure “took a little longer because it was proving difficult to obtain all the accurate information from the operator”, but that “it was possible to overcome this”, with the tender now open to all.
"Distribution operators can apply, and the one offering the most suitable conditions, with greater stability and distribution across the whole country, will be able to make that commitment to the nation, with this most important message – something that local authorities across the country have also been calling for – that no one should be left without a newspaper; no area should be left in a news desert, deprived of free information", he said.
The call for tenders will last 60 days, with the Cabinet office minister estimating that the process "will conclude this summer".
According to António Leitão Amaro, the media is one of the sectors undergoing "the greatest transformation", because competition in the circulation of information on major platforms represents "a major challenge" to continue generating revenue to sustain an activity that needs resources and must be of high quality.
“The media is undergoing a period of transformation, which involves greater difficulty in sustaining its business model, but it is essential to democracy,” he added.
The government’s support will be based on two pillars: direct funding for distribution through this tender and support for the operation of sales outlets in low-density areas, in partnership with local authorities.
To this end, a draft agreement is currently being discussed between Portugal MediaLab and the National Association of Local Authorities.
The financial support has been calculated based on the costs of the activity, regional differences and changes in expenses such as fuel and wages.
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