The Government presented the new Government strategy for housing this Friday.

Montenegro stressed that "housing is a fundamental and elementary right" and that someone who "does not have decent housing is compromising their life project".

The Prime Minister said that "not everything was done wrong" by the previous Executives. "What is well done we will not change, what is well done is to continue", he said. Even so, Luís Montenegro stressed that "much has not been done and that it is necessary to pave the way".

The Head of Government also announced that next week the Government will speak with all parliamentary groups to "take advantage of some initiatives that, in the meantime, have already been presented and the contribution that all parties can make to the new strategy". "We are open to positive contributions", he said.

However, Montenegro also left barbs for the opposition, which he accused of wanting to "undermine the work of the Government", and guaranteed that the dialogue must be effective and not masked. "We are as we have always been, with an open mind and heart", he stressed.

Luís Montenegro also took the opportunity to say that the collaboration of the municipalities is essential and thanked the support of the Mayor of Porto, Rui Moreira, who received the Government for the presentation of the measures for housing.

What measures were presented?

• Rent support will be changed to correct restrictions

The Government wants to safeguard the situation of people who have lost their rent support following a change in the value of the contract or sale of the property, said the Minister of Housing today, specifying that these restrictions will be eliminated.

• Housing measures for young people will have a dedicated Council of Ministers

The housing measures for young people will be approved in an extraordinary Council of Ministers dedicated to the subject, said the Minister of Housing today, stressing that this area cannot be the "poor relation" of the welfare state.

• Estamo guardianship shared with Finance

The Minister of Housing, Miguel Pinto Luz, today classified as a "paradigm shift" the fact that his ministry will now share guardianship of Estamo with Finance, stressing the need to end compartmentalization and "fiefdoms" in the State.

• European funds for housing? Government wants "term of responsibility"

The Government will institute a "term of responsibility", to be signed by the municipalities, to accelerate the execution of European funds from the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP), said the Minister of Infrastructure and Housing today.

• Local authorities will once again decide on new local accommodation licenses

Local authorities will once again be able to decide, with "autonomy", on new local accommodation licenses, said the Minister of Infrastructure and Housing today, also confirming the revocation of the extraordinary tax on this sector of activity.

• Municipalities will be able to use properties that are not used by the State

Municipalities will now be able to use properties that the central State is not able to use, announced the Minister of Infrastructure and Housing today, promising details on this measure "in the next ten days".

• Government wants to change the law so that rustic land can be used for housing

[News updated at 5:03 pm]

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