The conclusions are from the European Payment Report 2024, with the Government and public sector and construction categories being the only ones among the 15 analysed that registered a reduction this year compared to 2023.

“All other sectors registered an increase in the average number of days it takes to pay their suppliers”, says a statement accompanying the report which details that in construction the deadline fell by an average of four days, to 57 days.

The report notes that in Portugal the deadlines for payment to suppliers are “far above what would be ideal”, with only the pharmaceutical, medicine, and biotechnology sectors “being below fifty days, paying their suppliers, on average, in 49 days".

Among the sectors with the longest delay in paying suppliers are transport and logistics (75 days, 13 more than a year ago), energy and utilities (70 days, eight more) and mining and ores, telecommunications and technology and media, all with an average term of 68 days.

The biggest variations compared to 2023 are insurance (21 more days, to 62 days), hotels and leisure (14 more days, to 63 days) and telecommunications and retail, both with 13 more days compared to the previous year.

Quoted in the statement, the general director of Intrum, Luís Salvaterra, pointed out that “despite some positive signs, there are clear signs of degradation in payment discipline that profoundly affect the respective financial health of national companies”.

“Suppliers who pay late may have difficulty paying their own suppliers on time, and so on. Every organisation must do more to avoid this vicious circle,” he insisted.

Intrum praised the intervention of the Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, in the State of the Nation debate in which he defended the State to pay more quickly. “It is a positive decision that will certainly further reduce the average number of days it takes for the Government and the public sector to pay its suppliers, allowing payments to be made faster. We hope that the remaining sectors of activity will follow suit”, added the company manager.

At the beginning of July, the Government announced the “State to pay in 30 days” plan, one of the measures foreseen in the Government Program, which became part of a package with 60 measures to boost the Portuguese economy.