Alcanena, Portugal, May 26, 2025 (Lusa) - Portugal's minister for infrastructure and housing, Miguel Pinto Luz, on Monday said that while there might be delays in the implementation of projects under the housing component of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) for spending European Union post-pandemic funds, he still "believes" that the deadlines for completing 26,000 homes will be met.
"We continue to believe and are convinced that we will fulfil the RRP," said the minister during a visit to Alcanena, in the district of Santarém. "In fact, it has to be a national challenge, a challenge for everyone to complete and be able to fulfil this goal... by June 2026."
Pinto Luz, who on Monday afternoon visited some of the housing projects underway in the municipality and handed over the keys to the first six homes under the affordable rent programme, acknowledged that "the challenges are enormous," but insisted that he continues to "believe" - giving the example of the work carried out in Alcanena.
"We continue to believe that it's possible, we'll be able to do it and, with examples like Alcanena's, we certainly shall," he emphasised, pointing out that the causes of the delays have been identified and solutions will be found to overcome them.
Referring to the "price of construction" and the "under-budgeting that has existed in the various programmes," the minister praised the work of the current right-of-centre coalition government, which he said has made a "Herculean effort to increase capacity, to increase the response of the state budget.. in order to be able to comply" with the goals laid down in the RRP.
"In the coming months we'll see this pace accelerate to complete the twenty-six thousand homes [by June 2026], which we've accelerated to an extra ten thousand, which will also be one hundred percent financed," he said. "And that's why we believe we can do it, with the help of the municipalities."
When asked about the progress of projects under the 1st Right - Programme to Support Access to Housing, he confirmed that there were delays due to empty tenders, which he blamed on the "under-budgeting" of projects by the previous, Socialist government.
"Today construction prices have continued to rise and so we have some empty tenders, which has already been reported," he said. !We're worried about this situation, but we're monitoring it and we're always finding solutions."
In addition to having "more than doubled" the budget, the minister said, solutions have been found that include "different architectures for financing models" in order to "be able to meet these increasingly high construction prices."
With regard to the municipality of Alcanena, the minister considered it to be a "benchmark" for its "integrated vision" for the development of the municipality, combined with a global package of investment in 318 homes, under the '1st Right' and affordable rent programmes, in the order of €40 million.
"It's an example and it's leading the way," he said of the municipality. "Precisely because it has an absolutely unique affordable rent programme and an absolutely unique 1st Right. But I would say that this vision of rehabilitating the old town, bringing the multiplicity of uses into the old town - and we've walked this route from the town hall to here - we realise what is happening in the old town. This is what should have happened from north to south."
Alcanena, with an overall project for 308 homes and an investment of around €40.5 million, has already delivered 27 homes under the 1st Right programme and has a further 68 under construction, for total investment under that programme of €9 million. In terms of affordable housing, it delivered the first six homes on Monday, with another 145 under construction, 35 under public tender and 27 in the pipeline, for investment of €31.5 million.
According to the mayor, Rui Anastácio - elected on the PSD/CDS-PP/MPT coalition ticket as was the national government - the municipality received 100 applications for the six homes that were handed over on Monday.
"We have a huge set of challenges here, but in fact this qualified supply of housing is one of the indispensable pieces of the puzzle if we are to be able to combat this demographic winter that we are experiencing in the country and in our region," he said.
MYF/ARO // ARO.
Lusa
