The government has outlined intentions to strengthen the independence of Regulatory Entities in its program presented today in Parliament. Measures include the modification of appointment rules for administration bodies.
On one hand, it emphasizes the need for “robust conflict of interest requirements,” including a “cooling-off period before appointments during which appointees cannot have held positions in the regulatory entity’s field of operation.”
Moreover, it aims to introduce an “international competitive procedure, potentially appointing at least one member who is a non-resident foreign citizen, similar to existing practices in the Public Finance Council.”
The measures also guarantee the “effective organizational, functional, technical, and financial independence of regulatory entities, explicitly excluding political constraints such as budgetary freezes or interferences in human resources policies.”
The new government will soon need to make several appointments, notably at the Bank of Portugal (BdP), as the term of Mário Centeno as governor ends in mid-July.
The Program of the XXV Constitutional Government, formed after the legislative elections of May 18 won by the AD coalition (PSD/CDS), was submitted to Parliament today by the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Carlos Abreu Amorim.
This government program was approved by the Council of Ministers on Thursday and will be debated in Parliament on Tuesday and Wednesday.
