Between January 28th and February 15th, 2026, Portugal was once again put to the test. Successive storms have left a trail of destruction in several regions of the continent, exposing old weaknesses and revealing, once again, that the country remains ill-prepared to respond to crises of this magnitude.
The Government presented the Portugal Transformation, Recovery and Resilience Program (PTRR) as a structured response to the catastrophe. But the essential question remains: where was the State when the populations needed it most? Where were the permanent prevention and reaction mechanisms that should have been created after fires, floods and other calamities that marked the last decade?
Portugal has experienced a succession of crises, from the 2017 fires to the pandemic, including the floods in Greater Lisbon and Porto, without lasting structural solutions having been implemented. And now, faced with one of the biggest storms in recent history, we are once again witnessing propaganda and presentations, when what is required are concrete and immediate measures.
We are clear, the public response must be quick and effective, otherwise the State will fail precisely when citizens need it most. We defend exceptional support for farmers, for the sake of survival of the primary sector. We proposed the exemption from tolls in the affected areas, to provide relief to those who need to travel to rebuild their lives and businesses. We demand exemption from IMI in the most affected areas, not as a favor, but as a minimum of dignity.
People cannot continue paying taxes as if nothing had happened. They cannot be pushed towards solutions based exclusively on credit, getting into even more debt to recover what they lost. Recovering is not going into debt. Recovering is supporting.
The Government understands that an Amending Budget is not necessary. We have the opposite position. When the country faces billions in losses, when companies are at risk and families have lost assets, discussing budgetary instruments is not a political whim, it is a responsibility.
More than announcing an eight or ten year plan, the essential thing is to act now. The PTRR will only make sense if it represents concrete action on the ground, speed in execution and courage to correct flaws. Otherwise, it will be just another well-intentioned program that does not change reality.
Portugal needs to create a true permanent disaster response fund, like the one that exists in other European countries, capable of mobilizing resources immediately, without improvisation. We can’t keep starting from scratch after every storm.
What is at stake is the responsibility of the State in the most important moments of people’s lives. Persisting in the error is not acceptable. Recognizing failures, correcting course and acting with determination would be a sign of leadership.
The PTRR can be an opportunity to transform and prepare the country for a more resilient future. But this takes more than words. It takes political courage, prioritizing people and real commitment to those who lost everything.
When the State fails, the Portuguese pay. And this cannot continue to be the rule.
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