“The issue of teleworking is not yet on the table for us. There are many ways to get to work, and we are not even discussing that issue yet,” said Energy Minister Maria da Graça Carvalho.

No need to reduce travel

Speaking to Portuguese journalists in Brussels after an address at the Diaspora Council meeting, the minister stressed that there is also no recommendation to reduce air travel – two recommendations from the International Energy Agency – and emphasised that “people have a right to their holidays and to travel” as summer approaches.

“We have a large diaspora who have the right to spend time with their families and enjoy returning to Portugal […] and tourism accounts for 15% of our GDP, but also on an individual level, people enjoy travelling; it is part of broadening their horizons, and I would not want to be here making a recommendation to avoid it, for the time being,” she stated.

Fuel supply secured

According to Maria da Graça Carvalho, in the case of Galp and Repsol, aviation fuel (jet fuel) “is secured until the end of August and […] if the war intensifies, […] they have plans to import the remaining 20%”.

“They have plans B and C […], and there may still be no problem, but it is more problematic because the effects of these crises are cumulative. Let’s hope it ends before August,” she said, referring to the war in Iran caused by US and Israeli attacks and the subsequent Iranian response.

“So, we will try to ensure that reductions are not necessary. We have an energy efficiency plan covering many areas,” he added.

European Union measures

At the end of April, the European Commission announced a set of measures to tackle high energy prices, including targeted support for consumers and businesses, possible tax cuts and tariff adjustments, and the use of market instruments and strategic reserves.

At the time, Brussels backed down and did not put forward recommendations to reduce energy consumption, such as the use of teleworking or alternatives to flying and driving, but assured that it “clearly continues” to encourage the EU to make such reductions.

In an earlier draft seen by Lusa, Brussels suggested that EU countries promote at least one mandatory day of teleworking per week, adopt alternatives to the car (such as bike-sharing, car-sharing, more electric vehicles and greater use of public transport) and avoid air travel wherever possible, in line with the recommendations of the International Energy Agency (IEA), but this was not subsequently adopted.

Recommendation on electric vehicles

The IEA recommended, as reported by The Portugal News, that Portugal support the purchase of second-hand electric vehicles, particularly by low-income families, to reduce emissions in a transport sector that remains heavily dependent on oil.

Responding to this suggestion, Maria da Graça Carvalho assured that the government “has been doing this for some time” for new electric vehicles, and is due to launch a new tender shortly.

Electricity prices

As for the IEA’s recommendation to remove non-energy costs from electricity bills, the minister pointed out that electricity prices in Portugal are among the lowest in the European Union and have not risen due to the energy crisis, as the country is more reliant on renewables than on gas.

The European Union imports most of the oil and gas it consumes, which makes it highly exposed to external shocks such as the current energy crisis, which is primarily a price crisis.