Duarte Freitas announces package of measures to tackle rising fuel prices - Communication

Secretaria Regional das Finanças, Planeamento e Administração Pública

The Regional Secretary for Finance, Planning and Public Administration, Duarte Freitas, announced today a package of measures to tackle rising fuel prices, emphasising that “the Azorean people can count on their Government.”

“We are prepared for this moment and ready to consider further approaches, with input from this chamber as well," he stressed, speaking at the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores.

The measures announced by Duarte Freitas “are based on three priorities”: providing immediate relief from the costs borne by households, businesses and the most exposed sectors; protecting those who are most vulnerable; and accelerating changes that will make the Region less dependent on energy shocks.

“Firstly, given that the international political situation remains unstable, we have decided to further reduce the Tax on Petroleum and Energy Products (ISP) with a view to mitigating the final price of fuel borne by households and businesses,” he noted. The reduction will be between 8 and 13 cents for petrol and diesel, respectively.

He continued: “At the same time, we will bring forward the Azores 2030 Plan to boost energy efficiency in the business sector, private social welfare organisations and the housing sector, tackling energy poverty and promoting solutions that bring about a lasting reduction in consumption and costs.”

“Agriculture and fisheries also have specific measures in place,” added Duarte Freitas, explaining: “In addition to the special aid for agricultural diesel costs, amounting to 10 cents per litre, as already announced by the President of the Regional Government, temporary fuel support will be introduced in the fisheries sector to offset increased costs.”

“As the capacity to respond to rescue and emergencies must not be compromised, we will carry out an extraordinary review of the fuel quotas allocated to the Humanitarian Associations of Volunteer Firefighters in the Region. We will adjust this support to the rise in diesel prices and safeguard their operational capacity throughout 2026,” he also stated. 

Regarding private social solidarity institutions (IPSS), the Secretary for Finance noted that a measure had been included in the rescheduling of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP), which has already enabled the delivery of 130 electric vehicles valued at €4.5 million.

“For specific companies and their workers, we will support their cash flow by providing exceptional incentives to convert fixed-term employment contracts into permanent ones, thereby ensuring job security during these difficult times. We will also launch training programmes aimed at helping companies and workers adapt to change, focusing on energy efficiency, digital and green skills, logistics, productivity and the circular economy,” he continued.

For the most disadvantaged families, a measure will be introduced to tackle material deprivation through support to access food and certain healthcare products.

The Regional Public Administration “will also have to play its part,” acknowledged Duarte Freitas, who announced the acceleration of the implementation of shared management of official vehicles and increased awareness among departments regarding a “more conscious and efficient use of energy consumption.”

Recalling the “successive crises” the Region has faced – from the pandemic to the inflationary crisis, not to mention various armed conflicts – Duarte Freitas pointed out that the Azores have been “growing faster than Portugal” since 2023, with lower inflation and “one of the lowest unemployment rates” in the country.

He continued: “The economy of our islands has been dynamic, and the evidence is that, since 2019, we have seen corporate tax revenue rise from €45 million to €83 million in 2025, despite having cut taxes. These figures clearly demonstrate the strength of our business community. However, we should be proud, above all, that we have reduced the number of people benefitting from social income support by almost 70% and reduced the number of people trapped in the precariousness of temporary employment programmes by 60%. The figures are truly impressive: from 2019 to 2025, the working-age population grew by 10,300, the employed population grew by 12,700, the number of people living on social income support fell by 10,400, and the number of people in employment programmes fell by 2,200.”

Duarte Freitas also emphasised that the latest monitoring of basic grocery basket prices for April showed a fall of 2.53% compared with March and 0.7% compared with December 2025.

“However, whilst we can indeed delay and mitigate the consequences of this global energy crisis, we cannot eliminate its effects. If this situation persists and puts pressure on central banks to raise key interest rates, the Regional Government is also prepared to activate CREDITHAB, which supported many families with their mortgage repayments when interest rates rose beyond reasonable levels,” he added.