Mário Centeno warns of a deficit that "exceeds the amounts from when we had to call the troika" and of something "never seen" in Portugal

Former Finance Minister Mário Centeno stated that the state deficit projected in the 2027 Budget proposal is 9.566 billion euros, a 50-fold increase from the 189 million euro balance recorded in 2023. He further warned that state financing needs have been revised upward by 33%, reaching a total of 18.673 billion euros, a level of expenditure on financial assets he described as unprecedented in Portuguese budgetary management.