Portugal does not have a large state. It has a lost state.

For decades, there has been talk of “reforming the State”. Commissions are created, studies are carried out, intentions are announced — and in the end, another layer of bureaucracy is added, with new positions, new agencies, new promises.

The illusion is always the same: thinking that the State's problem can be solved with more management, more reorganization, more technical jargon.

But Portugal's problem is not just that reform never arrives. It is about vision.

The state is not just too big. It is too disoriented.

And as long as we continue to see the country as a set of isolated sectors, we will continue to fail — no matter how much we try to cut.

The current government has created a “Ministry of Reform”. It may sound ambitious — but the name reflects the problem.

Instead of thinking of the State as a coherent whole, we continue to divide, pile up and compartmentalize.

It's like trying to improve traffic by building more roundabouts, without thinking about the city plan.

The State needs a brain — not more arms.

A liberal government worthy of the name would prioritize a national reform plan with 5, 10 and 15-year targets, aligning services, investments, infrastructure and incentives.

An orchestrated plan — that does not consider health without considering demographics, that does not consider education without taking into account the technological aspect, nor think about transport without considering the economic impact, etc.

Without an integrated vision, there is no possible reform.

Reducing the State… or giving it purpose?

Defending “less State” without criteria is as dangerous as defending “more State” on impulse.

Reducing expenses must be done with strategic intelligence, and with a continuous assessment of cost-benefit, be it economic, social, environmental, etc.

And here it is essential to remember something that so many forget: not all benefits are material, for example, freedom has a cost — and for a true liberal it is worth every penny, but it has to be well spent.

Maintaining a free press, protecting independent institutions, ensuring accessible justice — these are investments, not expenses.

The same goes for quality education, equitable mobility, or the digitalization of processes that free up time and dignity for citizens.

A liberal state is not an absent state.

It is a State that intervenes less, and for that reason, what it does, it does better.

Who focuses on the essentials and leaves the rest to those who do it more effectively.

A wrong proposal that we need to review

Even within the Liberal Initiative — the party with the most reformist vision in Portugal — ideas emerge that need to be rethought.

The “2 for 1” proposal, for example — hiring only one person for every two who retire — is a technical and political error.

It is blind, generalist and counterproductive.

What should be done is not to cut for the sake of cutting.

It is about identifying useless institutions, obsolete organizations, duplicated functions — and then, yes, extinguishing, merging, freeing up resources.

But at the same time, we must reallocate talent, attract merit, and facilitate the hiring of those who make a difference.

And, when necessary, also allow the dismissal of those who do not comply.

A liberal reform is not blind savings.

It is a transformation with criteria, courage and a focus on results.

Portugal needs a compass, not a scalpel

This is the time to stop improvising.

To stop making “half a ministry here”, “a measure there”, “another cut over there”.

The country does not need institutional cosmetics. It needs a strategic vision that lasts longer than a political cycle.

We need a plan that looks at the whole picture. That combines transport with competitiveness, justice with growth, taxation with innovation.

And realize that freedom without dignity is an empty slogan.

Dignity only exists when the State does not get in the way — but also when it does not abandon.

It's not about choosing between spending less or doing more.

It's about using it better.

To plan intelligently.

And to have the courage to think about the country with a real horizon — and not with fear of losing votes in each difficult decision.