"As in 2017, next August there will be an extraordinary update to monthly pensions that will cover 1.5 million pensioners with income up to 1.6 IAS" - the indexing reference for social support - the minister of employment, solidarity and social security, José Vieira da Silva, said at a briefing with journalists.

People with pensions of no more than 1.5 times the IAS – that is, €643.35 - are thus to receive an extra €6 or €10, depending on whether their pension was updates between 2011 and 2015, "deducted from the value of the update of pensions that took place on 1 January" of this year, the minister said.

The measure will cost €82 million a year, Vieira da Silva said; this year, the cost will be around €35 million.

The increase is to be applied to invalidity, old age and survivor pensions issued by social security and the civil servants' separate pensions scheme.

Portugal's government met in Lisbon on Thursday morning for its regular weekly cabinet meeting.