The Government announces the launch of the 'gov.pt' brand, which will standardise the service channels of public services, to "facilitate the relationship of citizens and companies with the State".

The Minister of Youth and Modernisation, Margarida Balseiro Lopes, quoted by Lusa, explains that: "We have a proliferation of 'websites', we have more than 300 flags and citizens often do not know where to go, or has to go to several 'websites' to be able to deal, sometimes, even with the same problem".

The governor states that with "the creation of the single portal of digital services with the gov.pt brand" the Government intends for citizens to go on the site and there they will be able to "deal with a set of services that are made available by the Public Administration".

The single portal of digital services, 'gov.pt' will be launched in September, and next year it is planned to launch an 'app' [application], which follows the same "philosophy", that "the State concentrates in this application the various services it makes available to citizens".

From the government's perspective, "we must prioritise digital means" something that is only possible if the State is able to "inform and empower people" something that Margarida Bolseiro understands has not been done.

"We have not been successful in this exercise and we have to improve the way in which we inform people, because they often go for the face-to-face option because they find it easier, for example," she indicates.

The minister announces that the brand will be announced on NOS Alive, where the Government will have "a 'stand' already with the brand", but reinforces that the site will only be launched in September, "being a project with several stages".

The governor also indicated that it will hold the "first Council of Ministers for Digital Transition and Modernization, which is also a change because we have the Councils of Ministers that meet every week, but taking into account the centrality of this topic (...) there will be quarterly Councils of Ministers destined" to this matter.

"Why is this? Because this is not in a single ministry. This means that in this Council of Ministers, which is chaired by the Prime Minister, points of situation and presentation of new initiatives are made so that this effort is not only from the Ministry of Modernisation," but from all ministries and the entire Public Administration, she said.