Portugal's prime minister will deliver a statement to the country instead of holding the customary press conference that normally follows a meeting of the Council of Ministers, according to RTP. The public broadcaster reported the change on Thursday, 17 September 2026.
RTP did not give a reason for swapping the usual question-and-answer session with ministers for a direct address by the head of government.
The shift in format comes amid a run of economic and tax coverage in the Portuguese press. Diário de Notícias reported that the prime minister would speak to the country to set out new support measures. Jornal de Negócios reported that he defended the state of the public accounts, saying Portugal was on course for a fourth consecutive budget surplus. Euronews reported that tax experts backed planned income tax cuts but warned the country's situation could still deteriorate.
Taken together, the reports point to a government keen to present its fiscal and support plans on its own terms, through a single televised statement rather than a back-and-forth with journalists.
What to watch next: the content of the prime minister's statement and whether the government returns to the standard post-cabinet press conference format at future meetings.