The president of Portugal’s public housing authority, Benjamim Pereira, apologized on Friday for remarks suggesting young people may lack the willingness to make the same sacrifices as previous generations to afford housing.
Pereira, who heads the Institute for Housing and Urban Rehabilitation (IHRU), issued a public statement acknowledging his comments on Thursday in Vila Nova de Gaia were “unfortunate.” He clarified he had not intended to downplay housing hardships or imply young people should emigrate to buy homes, as his own grandparents and father had done.
Infrastructure and Housing Minister Miguel Pinto Luz said Pereira’s apology and clarification were “necessary and sufficient,” though he stressed the original remarks were “unhappy and do not reflect the position of the current government.” Speaking in the Guarda region, Pinto Luz added the government aims to deliver 40,000 homes by the end of 2026 and 50,000 in 2027, with 31,700 already completed by August. He also cited policies including tax exemptions for young buyers and public guarantees that have benefited over 129,000 young people.
Opposition leaders criticized Pereira’s comments but stopped short of demanding his resignation. Socialist Party leader José Luís Carneiro called the remarks “unhappy” and said Prime Minister Luís Montenegro should decide on any dismissal. The Communist Party, Livre, and PAN requested a parliamentary hearing for Pereira, while the Left Bloc insisted he should step down. Iniciativa Liberal’s parliamentary leader, Mário Amorim Lopes, said the focus should remain on solving housing issues rather than personnel changes, noting the IHRU’s longstanding inefficiencies in maintaining and advancing public housing projects.
Porto’s mayor, Pedro Duarte, said Pereira’s comments did not reflect the views of most Portuguese politicians. He added that protests over housing, which have spread from Porto to Lisbon and other cities, were now part of a “democratic normality” and that authorities must listen to public concerns.
