MEPs debate the EU’s future with the Prime Minister of Portugal, Luís Montenegro
During a “This is Europe” debate, MEPs and Portugal’s Prime Minister focused on an ambitious EU long-term budget, a successful energy transition, and EU competitiveness.
Welcoming Prime Minister Luís Montenegro, the European Parliament’s President Roberta Metsola said: “This year we celebrate forty years of Portugal in the European Union (EU) – four decades of Europe shaping Portugal and Portugal shaping our Union. This House shares Portugal’s ambition for a more competitive Europe, with less bureaucracy and more room for companies to grow and create jobs. Delivering on this agenda means securing a budget that can support it. That’s why reaching an agreement on the next Multiannual Financial Framework is so urgent.”
In his speech, the Portuguese prime minister called on the EU to reduce red tape and the persistent bureaucracy affecting the competitiveness of member states. To provide high quality and well-paid jobs amid the AI revolution, he said the EU needed to invest more and called for progress in establishing the Saving and Investment Union and for the conclusion of the EU’s Banking Union.
It is time to modernise the EU budget
For the forthcoming EU multiannual financial framework (MFF) covering 2028-2034, Luís Montenegro said this will be the “financial translation of our political ambitions”. Highlighting that “there is no European competitiveness without cohesion, and no cohesion without competitiveness”, he added that Portugal does not view the “MFF as a competition for begging” but as a means to deepen the internal market, and as an economic and social project that is only possible with more solidarity.
“We are together in the efforts to modernise the budget. We cannot accept the perpetuation of mechanisms built for other times and realities,” he said, calling for more ambition and the courage to adopt own resources.
Energy crisis, housing and migration
The prime minister also called for a coordinated European approach to the current energy crisis to speed up the energy transition and reduce the EU’s dependency on other countries.
He also stressed that Europe’s housing crisis would benefit from “a complementary European action” by “contributing to the simplification of the procedures”, while respecting national and local competences.
Speaking on migration, Luís Montenegro said that the Portuguese solution, combining a “responsible control with humanistic integration” would be an approach beneficial for Europe.
Political group leaders
MEPs welcomed Prime Minister Montenegro’s commitment to swift negotiations on the MFF, which should reflect the EU’s new priorities on defence and competitiveness alongside traditional social and cohesion goals.
Many echoed Montenegro’s focus on housing, arguing that tailored measures are needed to address shortages and improve affordability, particularly for young people and the most vulnerable.
There was also broad support for his backing for simplification to boost competitiveness and strengthen the single market. Several MEPs stressed the importance of continuing to support the EU’s energy transition and climate goals, while helping families and small and medium enterprises cope with rising energy and living costs.
Some MEPs called for concrete action to manage migratory pressures in Portugal and across the EU, including stronger border management and measures to strengthen the asylum, protection and return systems.
Background
The European Parliament launched its ‘This is Europe’ debate series during the 2019-2024 parliamentary term to discuss the future of the EU. Since then, 15 EU heads of state or government have participated in plenary debates with MEPs.