Latest news and stories about public administration in government in Lisboa, Portugal for expats and residents.
A legislative proposal to establish a Public Procurement Dispute Resolution Chamber in Lisbon faces criticism, with calls to decentralize the entity to promote regional development and leverage digital infrastructure.
The Portuguese government is set to approve the Single Social Benefit, a measure consolidating 13 welfare programs including the RSI, to meet Recovery and Resilience Plan requirements and secure 500 million euros in funding.
The Socialist Party in Lisbon has accused Mayor Carlos Moedas of illegally retaining Alberto Laplaine Guimarães as municipal secretary-general, arguing that his tenure has exceeded the legal ten-year limit and that a new public tender was required.
Getting to know an institution usually produces a curious effect: it reduces certainties, adds context, and teaches respect for the invisible work of those who came before.
In 2013, Lisbon made a bold choice by transferring powers from the central municipal structure to local parishes. This was not merely an administrative shift, but a recognition that local issues are best resolved by those closest to the community. However, decentralisation faces the inertia of established municipal cultures that struggle to relinquish central control. The author argues that the second generation of decentralisation in Lisbon must move beyond simply delegating execution while keeping decision-making centralised. True decentralisation requires transferring trust and accepting that local entities may choose different, and potentially better, ways to manage their responsibilities, while maintaining accountability and transparency.
The reduction of the fine was due to the partial success of the appeals filed by the Lisbon City Council, stated lawyer Tiago Félix da Costa, highlighting that the delays in the process were not due to any dilatory tactics or actions by the municipality, thus justifying the statute of limitations on the administrative offences applied to the Lisbon local authority.
The former Prime Minister returns a year after requesting a ten-day break. Additionally, the Lisbon City Council (CML) was ordered to pay over 460,000 euros in the Russiagate case.
Workers in general Public Administration careers are expected to participate in a demonstration in Lisbon on October 2nd.
Oeiras City Council currently has 58 officials in acting roles, some for several years. Isaltino refused to pay a 2,500 euro fine and will face trial, alongside other mayors.
The Minister of Education, Science and Innovation, Fernando Alexandre, has had the proposal to appoint Pacheco Pereira and Seixas da Costa to the NOVA University Lisbon Foundation Board of Trustees on his desk since early July, but more than a month later, the process remains stalled. The delay is reportedly due to questions regarding the legitimacy of the General Council's decision-making process and its mandate, though university records suggest the required procedures were followed. This administrative delay occurs amidst institutional tension at the university, currently embroiled in legal disputes over the election of its rector.
The Judiciary Police secretariat was also required to communicate the start and renewal of the national directorate's mandate and never did so. Neves cited security reasons for not submitting the declaration, but could have requested confidentiality.
The country is dealing with a silent catastrophe, implying a significant but underreported crisis.
The weekly newspaper Nascer do Sol published a report this Saturday titled 'False PJ statement attempted to exonerate Luís Neves'. The report refers to a DN article from July 17th, which allegedly disclosed information from a 'fake statement' circulated to newsrooms as if it were from the Judiciary Police (PJ). DN clarifies that its reporting followed all journalistic ethical standards, denies having received or consulted any such fake document, and challenges Nascer do Sol to provide evidence for its claims. DN reaffirms its commitment to impartial and rigorous journalism.
The State has acknowledged that there was no basis for the dismissal of the former president of the CCB, Francisca Carneiro Fernandes. Speaking to Expresso, the individual in question, who challenged the dismissal order issued by the former Minister of Culture Dalila Rodrigues, states that “any government official is obliged to make transparent and properly substantiated decisions.”
The committee that prepared the report, which will serve as the basis for the Government to move forward with a proposal to create a general regime for fees in the Public Administration, refused to assess whether there are too many 'fees or small charges' in the Portuguese tax system. Pedro Brinca, one of the authors of the report, stated that it was outside the scope...
The Minister Assistant and for State Reform once again criticised the bureaucracy that characterises the Public Administration. At the .IA Conference, held by ECO this Tuesday at the Belém Cultural Centre (CCB), Gonçalo Matias complained about the delay in a simple kiosk purchase process, stating he hopes that the gradual introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) in...
A comment suggesting that if office desks were smaller, the Bank of Portugal might be able to fit into a specific space.
![If instead of 1.40-metre desks they were 80 centimetres, perhaps [the Bank of Portugal] would fit](https://cdn.jornaldenegocios.pt/images/2026-07/img_1200x676uu2026-07-09-18-40-22-526340.jpg)
Following the disastrous digital grading of secondary school exams and a series of clumsy attempts to shift blame, the Ministry of Education has sought to create a narrative of non-accountability. The ministry initially blamed schools for stapling exam papers, then shifted the blame to software, and finally to teachers, accusing them of spreading falsehoods. The author criticizes the ministry for avoiding responsibility, scapegoating staff, and dismissing legitimate concerns as a conspiracy by those opposed to progress. Furthermore, the author highlights the poor conditions at the digitisation facility in Mem Martins, describing it as a 'sweatshop' that exposes the lack of genuine modernisation in the education system.
A year and a half after it was announced, the new Artificial Intelligence model entirely in Portuguese was presented this afternoon. It is called Amália.
The Portuguese state has been ordered by the Administrative Court to pay 15,000 euros in compensation to José Sócrates for the violation of judicial secrecy in the context of Operação Marquês.
Ferreira claims to have “all the evidence” of illegality in the works that transformed the kiosk into a luxury restaurant. The City Council has not presented the alteration project or the authorization.
The CEO of CGD wants the salaries of political positions to no longer serve as a benchmark for the remuneration of top public administration officials.
“We must de-index these remunerations from those of politicians (...) When we speak ill of the Public Administration, we must know if we are willing to pay more to the leaders,” stated the president of Caixa Geral de Depósitos.
The CEO of Caixa Geral de Depósitos (CGD) stated in Lisbon that public administration leaders need higher salaries and that these should no longer be pegged to politicians' wages. Macedo argued that if we criticise the public administration, we must be willing to pay its leaders more. He also suggested greater flexibility in rewarding top-performing public workers through career progression or bonuses, bypassing lengthy evaluation processes. Currently, state employees' salaries are capped by the Prime Minister's base pay, though exceptions exist for state-owned companies operating in competitive markets like the CGD.
The chief executive of Caixa Geral de Depósitos (CGD) said this Thursday in Lisbon that it is necessary to increase the salaries of public administration officials and that these should no longer be benchmarked against politicians' salaries. “When we speak ill of the Public Administration, we must know if we are willing to pay more to its leaders,” ...
The proposal to create a competition for the hiring of 163 technicians and managers for the Lisbon City Council was approved at this Wednesday's meeting. The launch of procedures for the first dozens of positions under this new regime will begin to be implemented this year, the deputy mayor, Gonçalo, told ECO/Local Online.
At Lisbon City Hall, appointments on an interim basis are coming to an end. All management roles, and we are talking about 163 positions, will from now on be chosen through public tenders. Opinion by Gonçalo Reis
Minister Gonçalo Matias claims that the Court of Auditors and its prior visa mechanism delayed the new Lisbon Oriental Hospital by years, resulting in an additional 164 million euro cost. Speaking at a Diário de Notícias conference, the minister defended the government's proposed reforms to the Court of Auditors, arguing that its current oversight powers and financial liability rules for public managers are anachronistic, paralyze public administration, and discourage qualified professionals from taking public roles.
Luís Rosa, a commentator for CNN Portugal, analyses the latest details regarding Operation Imergente.
Filipa Veiga holds the same position and salary she had at the council before being elected. She is a part-time president and coordinator of Culture in the same local authority.
