Portugal's Parliament Advances Single Social Benefit Bill After Chega-PSD Deal

Portugal's Assembly of the Republic debated a government proposal to create a single social benefit (Prestação Social Única, PSU) that would combine 13 existing supports, including the Social Insertion Income, parental subsidies, old‑age and widow pensions, and unemployment aid. The bill, approved by the Council of Ministers on 29 May, requires the government led by Prime Minister Luís Montenegro to negotiate with the Social Democratic Party (PSD) or Chega to secure parliamentary approval.

Chega leader André Ventura announced an agreement with the PSD parliamentary group to send the authorization for the PSU to the committee stage without a full‑house vote. Six of Chega's seven demands were accepted, notably excluding the party’s request to bar immigrants who have never contributed to Portugal from receiving the benefit. The parties aim to resolve the remaining issues within a week, citing the urgency of meeting commitments under the EU Recovery and Resilience Fund, which links disbursement of about €620 million to the reform's implementation.