The measure, announced in May by the Minister of Youth and Modernization, Margarida Balseiro Lopes, includes the free provision of menstrual hygiene products in schools and health centers across the country starting in September.
According to the resolution, the expected costs for the purchase of these products cannot exceed eight million euros this year and two million euros in 2025, amounts to which “VAT is not added”, and each amount can be increased by the balance recorded in the previous year.
The Executive’s aim with this measure is to combat menstrual poverty by ensuring “equality in access to menstrual health and dignity”, as well as “increasing school and economic participation”, since “access to menstrual hygiene products creates the conditions for economically vulnerable populations to promote school attendance and participation in economic activities”.
The Resolution of the Council of Ministers enters into force from the date of its approval, August 22, and establishes that the costs are covered by the amounts entered and to be entered in the DGS budget, using the public tender procedure with publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
