“At the end of this quarter we will adopt a new package of measures to support families and business activity”, revealed the Head of Government, at the start of the State of the Nation debate, justifying the decision “with the prolonging of the war” that will provoke longer lasting inflation “than initially anticipated”. The prime minister did not, however, anticipate the measures in question.

In the opening session, António Costa also highlighted that the Executive has responded in “three ways” to the escalation of inflation, namely “containing the increase in energy prices as far as possible, supporting the production of the most exposed companies” in energy consumption, as well as supporting families.

These measures allowed, according to the Prime Minister, “a 3.7% reduction in the price of electricity for families in the regulated market”, an “18 percentage point reduction in the tax burden on fuels, allowing for savings of 16 euros in a tank of 50 litres of gasoline or 14 euros in a tank of diesel”, as well as “a reduction in the impact of the rise in the price of gas on the production of electricity in the spot market“, resulting in an “average daily saving in this first month of application of 18%”.