The Association of Civil Construction and Public Works Industries (Associação dos Industriais da Construção Civil e Obras Públicas or AICCOPN) warns that addressing the national shortfall of 300,000 homes will take at least three years. According to the Bank of Portugal (Banco de Portugal), this deficit remains a significant challenge for the housing sector.
Housing shortfall recovery could take three years
Saturday, 11 July 2026AI summary
Context & Explainers
AICCOPN is the Associação dos Industriais da Construção Civil e Obras Públicas (Association of Civil Construction and Public Works Industrialists), the main employers' organisation for construction companies in Portugal. It negotiates collective labour agreements, advises members on rules and public tenders, and its positions can affect prices, project timelines and hiring in the construction and real-estate sectors.
- Governor of Banco de Portugal (2020–present)
- Former: Minister of Finance (2015–2020), President of the Eurogroup (2018–2020)
- Party: Independent (PS-affiliated)
- Background: Economist (PhD, Harvard)
Mário José Gomes de Freitas Centeno (born 1966) is Portugal's central bank governor and one of the country's most internationally recognized economic figures. As Finance Minister under António Costa's first PS government, he became known as "Cristiano Ronaldo of European finance" for turning Portugal's deficit into a surplus while reversing austerity.
He was elected president of the Eurogroup (the informal body of euro area finance ministers) in 2018 — the first Portuguese to hold the role. Since becoming Governor of Banco de Portugal in 2020, he sits on the ECB's Governing Council and oversees Portuguese banking supervision and financial stability.
