Tarifa Social de Energia

Since its implementation in 2010 (for electricity) and in 2011 (for natural gas) as a measure to combat the effects of the Global Financial Crisis of 2008‑2009, the Portuguese social energy tariff has been progressively adapted to cover a growing number of beneficiaries. Although there is room for improvement in certain aspects, the introduction of an automatic procedure for applying to the tariff in 2016 has proven to be a powerful lever to expand the number of beneficiaries and explains the success of its impact. Bearing in mind the efficacy of the social energy tariff, in this paper we seek to recommend the extension of social tariff to the water, telecommunications and transports sectors on the grounds of the relevance of its principles, in the context of the social and economic crisis triggered by the Covid‑19 pandemic.