Finance Minister Joaquim Miranda Sarmento anticipated this Tuesday, March 24, that the 2025 budget surplus, to be released this Thursday by the National Statistics Institute, will be a “pleasant surprise and good news for the country.” The Government had forecast a surplus of 0.3% of GDP for 2025, but the minister had already signaled it would be higher than expected. During a presentation at the Strategic Council of the Portuguese Development Bank in Oeiras, Lisbon, Miranda Sarmento highlighted that last year's budget balance “will be well above the forecasts of entities and expectations.” The minister noted that this figure “will be a pleasant surprise and good news for the country,” which will also have a “positive carry-over effect for 2026.” While the 2025 surplus “makes the margin less tight,” two events in the first quarter of this year—storms and the war in Iran—have “made the margin tight again.” Nevertheless, Miranda Sarmento emphasized that balanced public accounts “are fundamental for the country,” and the Government will maintain this principle while “continuing to support the economy and families.” Regarding economic growth, the minister acknowledged that the storms and the situation in Iran “greatly condition what 2026 will be,” but the Government's expectation was for GDP growth above 2%. “We will see the impact the storms had in the first quarter and, the longer the conflict lasts, what impact there will be,” he stated.