PORTUGAL Trends and Developments Contributed by: Ana Reis Mota, Rogério Alves & Associados
be given to the commitment to disseminate and provide training on the General Regime for Corrup - tion Prevention (RGPC). • Proactive disclosure of administrative documents and data: the government will further advance the “open government” principle by proactively mak - ing administrative documents and data available to the public, including legal frameworks, citizens’ rights and obligations, procedural guides, updated price tables, and contact forms for complaints and suggestions. Education • Promotion of integrity culture: the plan emphasises the role of education for younger generations and training for public decision-makers in fostering a culture of integrity and civic responsibility, protect - ing the public sector from corrupt practices. Repression • Strengthening repressive measures: the plan proposes measures to increase the effective - ness of criminal prosecution, ensure faster judicial processes, and guarantee effective punishment for corruption crimes, reinforcing the principle that corruption does not pay. Legislative Focus: Procurement, Lobbying and Whistle-Blowing In terms of legal reform, several fronts have been par - ticularly active, as set out below. Public procurement Public procurement has been a recurrent source of corruption risk in Portugal (as in many EU countries). Reforms have concentrated on digitalising procure - ment processes, adopting stricter reporting rules and improving the transparency of contract awards and subcontracting chains. The EU and OECD have repeatedly signalled that procurement transparency remains a core area where Portugal must improve to reduce opportunities for favouritism and bid-rigging. Lobbying and transparency From 2024 onwards, Portugal’s anti-corruption agen - da becomes increasingly explicit and operational, moving from general integrity commitments towards concrete transparency instruments for policymaking
and influence activities. Programmatic policy anchors call for regulation of lobbying, a governmental legis - lative footprint, and reforms that leverage digitalisa - tion to reduce bureaucratic opacity. In parallel, sec - toral authorities have strengthened whistle-blowing channels and institutional integrity systems. EU-level requirements on transparency and accountability ‒ especially those tied to the use of EU funds and digital regulation ‒ continue to shape national priorities. The major policy statement for the period is the com - mitment to regulate lobbying and establish a legisla - tive footprint. The national planning instrument explic - itly calls for: • regulating the activity of influence upon public decision-makers, including concepts, principles, procedures, and sanctions, with a mandatory pub - lic registry of lobbyists and represented entities; and • implementing the government’s legislative foot - print, publishing accessible information on the stages of executive legislative and regulatory processes. These commitments are recorded in the national Major Options for 2024–2028, under the transparency and anti-corruption policy axis. For practitioners, this signals a decisive shift towards codified transparency obligations for influence activi - ties and policy formation, with implications for compli - ance frameworks, record-keeping, and public report - ing. Whistle-blower protection Strengthening whistle-blower protection has been a policy priority because protected reporting is crucial to uncovering corruption in sectors where audits or media scrutiny are weak. Legislative advances have aimed at better legal protection for reporters inside public and private organisations, secure channels and guarantees against retaliation, aligning domestic law with EU directives on whistle-blower protection. Detecting and deterring corruption relies on robust reporting mechanisms. Sectoral authorities have
194 CHAMBERS.COM
Powered by FlippingBook