Portugal will defend an increase of 20%, rather than the foreseen 9%, in funding for social inclusion programs under the EU’s National Strategic Reference Frameworks, junior Welfare Minister Marco António Costa announced today.

Costa said the sum Lisbon could receive from Brussels through the fund had yet to be determined because the EU yet has to “define the global amount” of the bloc-wide framework program.

Portugal will chair the EU’s European Anti-Poverty Network for the next three years.