Lisbon, Sept. 14, 2026 (Lusa) - The Portuguese Government is preparing new support measures for freight transport, the fire service, the social sector and taxis, to offset the impact of rising fuel prices, the minister for the environment and energy, Maria da Graça Carvalho, announced on Monday.
«A package of support measures is now being prepared – measures we had previously in place, which ended on 30 June, and which we will be reinstating» for those sectors, said Maria da Graça Carvalho, adding that the proposal is due to be put before Cabinet.
The minister was speaking to journalists at the opening of the Nãm Fungi Factory, a production facility that transforms coffee grounds into mushrooms, run by the Nabeiro-Delta Cafés Group and Nãm, which took place today in Odivelas, Lisbon.
The minister explained that the measures are expected to follow rules similar to those applied previously, and may take the form of support per vehicle or a discount or subsidy for each litre of fuel consumed, in the case of taxis, for example.
According to Graça Carvalho, the Government's policy remains to «help the sectors most in need rather than provide blanket support», whilst also pointing to the use of additional VAT revenue to reduce the Tax on Petroleum and Energy Products (ISP).
In the minister's view, the government should not «profit from the crisis».
She also indicated that the Government has already allocated around €1 billion through the ISP rebate and estimates that this figure will reach €1.3 billion by the end of the year.
When asked about the possibility of imposing a cap on fuel prices, she considered this to be an «exceptional measure of last resort», as it could disrupt the functioning of the market.
«We will monitor the situation on a daily basis and take the decisions best suited to the circumstances,» she stated, adding that fuel prices are monitored on a weekly basis.
The minister attributed the rise in diesel prices to a global shortage of refining capacity, pointing to the conflicts in the Gulf and between Ukraine and Russia, but also to the closure of around 10 refineries in Europe in recent years.
She warned that if this situation persists, it could lead to shortages of refined products, including diesel and aviation fuel, with particularly significant impacts on peripheral countries and outermost regions.
The minister therefore argued that refineries should be «spared as much as possible» in international conflicts, given that any fuel shortages could affect mobility, the economy and quality of life.
In the medium term, she highlighted the decarbonisation of transport as one of the Government's priorities, through electrification and the use of renewable fuels, such as biofuels and sustainable aviation fuels.
Regarding a possible reduction in VAT on fuel, she referred the decision to the prime minister and the minister of finance, emphasising that the matter also involves the European VAT Directive.
According to estimates by the Automobile Club of Portugal (ACP) this week, the price per litre of diesel is set to rise by 4 cents, whilst that of petrol is set to fall by 6 cents.
Based on current figures from the Directorate-General for Energy and Geology (DGEG), and taking into account forecasts of price movements based on Thursday's market close, the average price of regular diesel is expected to reach €2.152 per litre, whilst that of 95-octane petrol is expected to fall to €2.040 per litre.
On Friday, the Government announced an increase in the ISP discount of 0.109 cents per litre for diesel and a reduction of 0.956 cents for petrol.
The decision was justified by the prospect that, this week, there would be «a rise in the price of road diesel and a fall in the price of unleaded petrol», leading the Government to adjust the extraordinary and temporary discount on the ISP.
Consequently, the discounts resulting from this temporary and extraordinary mechanism are now €97.58 per 1,000 litres for road diesel and €65.92 per 1,000 litres for unleaded petrol, respectively.
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