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Republic transfers €3.25m more for Azores social institutions

Azores GuideAzores Guide
October 21, 2026
2 min read

The additional funding brings the total transferred since June to €5.25 million and is intended to support proposed increases in service funding.

The Government of the Republic has transferred an additional €3.25 million under the financing agreement for misericórdias and private social solidarity institutions in the Azores, regional secretary Mónica Seidi announced at the Azores Legislative Assembly plenary session in Horta, Faial.

Seidi said the Azores Social Security Institute already holds the money, allowing an immediate addendum to the base financing agreement. Together with €2 million transferred in June 2026, the total is €5.25 million.

She said services that did not receive increases in June are proposed to receive a 4.7% increase. Twenty-eight other responses that received a 2.4% increase in June would receive a further 2.3%, also reaching 4.7%. Seidi said this would bring the region to the same values agreed for mainland Portugal.

The institutions are facing a serious financial crisis linked to a lack of funds and what they consider underfunding of the social sector. They have warned that the continuing cash-flow squeeze could leave them unable to pay wages, Christmas subsidies and suppliers. Social-sector funding in the region depends directly on national Social Security funds.

The Regional Government commissioned a study on the real cost per user in Azorean services to support its case for increased funding from the Republic. Seidi recently said the study had been delivered to the Government of the Republic.

Update — 2026-10-22

The new coverage adds that the proposal covers 38 social responses under the cooperation agreements, including four that had not yet been updated this year: residential structures for older people, respite care for carers, residential homes for people with disabilities and kindergartens. These four are set to receive a 4.7% increase.

It also states that the funds were transferred via the national Social Security Financial Management Institute to the Azores Social Security Institute. Mónica Seidi said the transfers are being made earlier than last year and appealed to trade-union structures to cancel the announced strike.

Update — 2026-10-22

The proposal applies to 38 social responses covered by cooperation agreements. It covers four responses not yet updated this year: residential structures for older people, respite care for carers, residential homes for people with disabilities and kindergartens. These four responses are to receive a 4.7% increase.

The money was transferred through the national Social Security Financial Management Institute to the Azores Social Security Institute. Mónica Seidi said the transfers are being made earlier than last year and called on union structures to cancel the announced strike.

Sources

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