Montenegro on the way to Brussels after Balsemão’s funeral

The Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, is on his way to Brussels to participate in the European summit, after having attended the funeral ceremonies of the founder of the PSD, Francisco Pinto Balsemão, having been represented until now at the European Council by his Greek counterpart, Kyriákos Mitsotákis.

The head of Government will join the European Council meeting in time to participate in a discussion on the housing crisis, which Portugal has been trying to place on the European agenda given the impact on the country and the remaining 26, according to sources in Brussels.

Luís Montenegro had canceled the entire agenda scheduled until the end of the funeral ceremonies for former Prime Minister Francisco Pinto Balsemão, which took place until this Thursday in the early afternoon.

When a leader of the European Union (EU) cannot participate in the European Council meeting, he delegates his representation to another head of State or Government, who he chooses based on political color, geographic proximity or similarity of positions.

Kyriákos Mitsotákis is, like Luís Montenegro, center-right and both belong to the European People’s Party.

This meeting of the European Council is being marked by discussions such as community support for Ukraine in the face of the Russian invasion, with a discussion on the housing crisis also on the agenda, which should take place after the dinner of the 27 leaders.

Sources in Brussels indicated that “Portugal really wanted” to put the issue of housing on the agenda, with a view to promoting affordable housing by affecting all Member States.

The European Commission recognizes the challenges related to the housing crisis in Portugal and hopes to respond to them with this anticipated plan for this year on affordable housing, including financing, state aid and limits on local accommodation.

Housing is a competence of the Member States. The European Union is facing a housing crisis, in countries like Portugal, where house prices and rents have increased significantly, making it difficult to access affordable housing, especially for young people and low-income families.