The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, has returned the Government’s diploma establishing mechanisms for convergence of the civil service social protection regime with the general Social Security regime, as well as the Assembly of the Republic’s decree on the legal regime for supplementary accommodation for displaced higher education students.
In a statement, Marcelo says he did not promulgate the diploma “taking into account the legal, political and social sensitivity of the matter.” Therefore, he requests that it “be converted into a bill or a legislative authorization bill” to allow “conferring increased political legitimacy to a topic that divided the top of the administrative jurisdiction and deserves an uncontroversial solution.”
At issue is the interpretative decree-law approved on July 11 in the Council of Ministers, which aims to allow workers who left after January 1, 2006, to return to the Caixa Geral de Aposentações (CGA). However, civil servants who left for the private sector are excluded.
Regarding the non-promulgation of the Assembly’s decree on supplementary accommodation for displaced higher education students, the President considered that the topic deserves “clarity in its legal regime,” given that it is of “unquestionable relevance and social and political justice.”
The lack of affordable housing for higher education students is identified as one of the main challenges for families, preventing many students from continuing their studies.
In the first phase of the higher education access competition, almost 50,000 students were placed in universities and polytechnic institutes, with the registration process currently underway.
The Government launched a national housing plan to increase affordable housing supply, but the available beds are far fewer than the demand, with average room prices increasing again this year.
On the other hand, “despite doubts,” Marcelo gave the green light to the diploma that “proceeds with the extinction, by merger, of the Regional Health Administrations.” The head of state justifies the promulgation by stating that the waiting period for the full implementation of the new National Health Service (SNS) management model cannot be prolonged, and considering the agreement between the current and previous governments regarding the extinction of the ARS.
