“The ANMP supports the protests of the municipalities and the populations involved and calls on the Government to guarantee the means and mechanisms to ensure the distribution of newspapers throughout the national territory,” it says.

VASP's management announced last week that it is considering interrupting the daily distribution of newspapers in the districts of Beja, Évora, Portalegre, Castelo Branco, Guarda, Viseu, Vila Real and Bragança.

VASP cites the company's current financial situation, with a drop in sales and a significant increase in operating costs.

In a statement sent to the Lusa news agency, the ANMP (National Association of Portuguese Municipalities) considers that this “will jeopardize access to information, since there will be areas of the country that will be excluded from the press distribution routes, which until now has been ensured throughout the territory.”

“The ANMP absolutely disagrees with the adoption of this type of measure, as it puts at risk access to information for all citizens regardless of the region where they reside, further penalizing low-density territories that already suffer from increased problems compared to others, due to the continuous reduction of essential services to the population,” it points out.

The ANMP also warns that, if this decision is not reversed, “it will jeopardize the right to information and the full exercise of citizenship.”

“It will exacerbate territorial inequalities at a time when we must increasingly promote social and territorial cohesion,” it concluded.