This position was reinforced by António Costa on his personal account on the social network X (formerly Twitter) on the occasion of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, which was yesterday.

“After 2022, Portugal recorded the biggest drop in the risk of poverty or social exclusion in the European Union, setting it below the European average, we are not satisfied and want to go even further. That is why we recently approved the Action Plan for the National Strategy to Combat Poverty 2022-2025”, wrote the executive leader.

According to the Prime Minister, the Budget proposal for 2024 “also gives a relevant boost” to this strategy, “through measures such as the enhancement of the national minimum wage, the reinforcement of family allowances, and the extension of free daycare centers ”.

The action plan for the 2022-2025 period of the National Strategy to Combat Poverty was approved on Thursday by the Council of Ministers.

According to the Government, this plan “is a fundamental planning instrument” and establishes six lines of action and 14 strategic objectives.

The National Strategy to Combat Poverty 2021-2030, which was approved at the end of 2021, aims, among other measures, to reduce the population in poverty to 10% by the end of the decade.

Also, the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, warned of the need for new approaches and models of action in combating poverty, claiming that the country cannot accept almost two million poor people.

“On this day, a message persists and is repeated every year: that almost two million Portuguese people are poor, and this is a reality which we cannot accept”, said Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, in a message to mark the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.