The Municipality of Guarda recognized and distinguished the work developed by CERCIG, highlighting its exemplary performance and the collaboration maintained over the years. The support provided by CERCIG within the scope of the Minimum Income (RSI) is unrelated to the work it carries out with people with disabilities, which is not affected by this decision. The measure in question concerns the monitoring of a public social protection benefit, a competence of the Municipality exercised through a protocol with defined objectives, obligations, and duration.
Since April 1, 2022, the monitoring of the RSI has been a competence of the Municipal Council, transferred by the State. Initially, due to a lack of technical means, the Municipality entered into protocols with CERCIG and two other institutions. Currently, the Council has its own technical capacity to exercise this competence directly.
In early 2026, the Municipality met with CERCIG to renew the protocol, but received no response. The renewal was unanimously approved at the Council meeting on April 27, 2026. On May 20, the Municipality sent the signed protocol to CERCIG, but received no reply. On September 24, it communicated the termination of the protocol to CERCIG, effective December 31, fulfilling the 90-day notice.
The decision is based on good public management and coincides with a national reform: on December 31, the Minimum Income will be replaced by the Unique Social Benefit (PSU), and the new law assigns the monitoring of beneficiaries to municipal councils. The agreement establishes a benchmark of 100 family cases per technician, a ratio that ensures close monitoring of each family.
Over 4 years, the Council paid CERCIG approximately 950,000 euros for the monitoring of the RSI, and about 1.1 million euros to two other institutions. Additionally, it supported the operation of the municipality's social institutions with over 308,000 euros and allocated 1 million euros for projects applying for the PRR, totaling 3.3 million euros.
The Municipality understands the concern of CERCIG's workers and respects the orderly manner in which they expressed it, assuring that the decision does not diminish the merit of their work. However, it regrets that the matter is being handled in a more politicized way, reaffirming that it is a decision of rigorous and responsible management.
The Municipality reaffirms its full availability to dialogue and collaborate with CERCIG and all IPSS in the municipality, ensuring good institutional relations and the suitability of the social work carried out by the institution.
