The newly elected leadership of the National Association of Portuguese Municipalities (ANMP) has formally presented its congress resolutions to the Government, raising detailed concerns about the draft law on local finances and the wider decentralisation process. The ANMP is seeking clarifications and safeguards to protect municipal budgets and competences, clearer arrangements for funding decentralisation, and secure access for municipalities to European funds under the next EU programming framework.
New ANMP leadership raises concerns with the Government over local finance law and decentralisation
Wednesday, 7 January 2026RSS
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Context & Explainers
Decentralisation (descentralização) is the transfer of responsibilities, staff, assets and funding from the central government to local authorities so municipalities gain more control over services like planning, transport and some social programs. It matters now because the specific rules on which tasks move and how they are funded determine whether municipalities can afford to deliver those services, so legal details in the new local finance law are crucial for municipal budgets and autonomy.
