Latest news and stories about government transparency in Portugal for expats and residents.
Luís Montenegro allegedly withheld information from State services from which he requested opinions regarding the Spinumviva case.
The Socialist Party councillors have requested the “provision of all information” regarding this process, which was announced by the Minister of Defence and has the consent of the municipal mayor.
Clarifications were also requested regarding the sale of the ship to the Navy and the Ministry of Defence.
The Government's General Secretariat contracted a company led by a manager accused of bribing PSD mayors four times. The accused claims he is innocent.
The Government's General Secretariat contracted a company led by a manager accused of bribing PSD mayors four times. The accused claims he is innocent.
Whenever it can, the Portuguese State protects itself from journalism. At such times, it becomes necessary to react. Around here, the State is very powerful — but it does not control everything, nor everyone.
The Minister of the Presidency, António Leitão Amaro, dismissed any possibility of a merger between the news agency Lusa and the public broadcaster RTP on Thursday, March 12. He argued that the new statutes reduce government influence and questioned why the Socialist Party (PS) never established an Independent General Council during their time in power. Leitão Amaro defended the changes, stating they increase transparency and limit executive power, while also announcing plans to strengthen Lusa's capital and revise its public service contract to lower costs for media outlets. Meanwhile, Lusa employees held protests in Lisbon and Porto against the restructuring and the new governance model.
Workers' representatives from RTP and Lusa expressed concern over the future of these media outlets, criticizing the Portuguese government for lacking transparency regarding potential plans to merge the two companies. They highlighted uncertainties about the impact on editorial independence, institutional autonomy, and the quality of public broadcasting. The unions and editorial councils called for ongoing dialogue and urged workers to participate in upcoming protests in Lisbon and Porto to defend the independence and stability of public media.
In a joint statement, the workers' committees pointed to the “lack of information that should be clear and definitive from the Government regarding the potential consolidation of Lusa and RTP into a shared space.”
The workers' committees of Portugal's RTP and Lusa expressed concern over the future of these public media organizations, criticizing the government's lack of transparency regarding policies that could lead to their consolidation. They warn that merging the companies' headquarters might threaten their editorial independence and identity. The committees have committed to ongoing coordination and have called for worker mobilization, including protests scheduled in Lisbon and Porto, to defend their autonomy and service mission amidst uncertain political developments.
All 11 candidates submitted their income and asset declarations, but only three are accessible. Some may only be viewable after the elections.
