Estimates were presented by Mariana Gomes Canotilho at the Budget and Finance Committee during an urgent hearing requested by TC President José João Abrantes concerning the government’s proposed State Budget for 2026.
“Our additional financing needs amount to around 1.6 million euros. These largely stem from three main factors: the absolute need for implementing an electronic case management platform; strengthening the resources of the Entity for Parties’ Accounts and Financing; and additional personnel expenses,” she specified.
Mariana Gomes Canotilho emphasized the investment in an electronic procedural processing platform, describing the project as “structural, urgent, and essential for the modernization of constitutional justice.”
“The Constitutional Court is the only court in the country still processing on paper in 2025, which causes additional and unjustifiable difficulties. The court has technological limitations that are now incomprehensible and impact the efficiency of its processes,” she concluded.
According to the TC President, based on the State Budget maps for 2026, the Constitutional Court has a budget forecast for the next year “which does not increase by 2% – a figure below the expected inflation rate.”
It was noted that the TC budget figures also include the two independent administrative entities operating alongside the court.
The TC’s allocation in the government’s proposed State Budget for 2026 slightly increases (less than 2%) to 10.47 million euros, 200 thousand euros more than the 2025 allocation of 10.27 million euros.
According to TC judges, the court requires an allocation of about 1.6 million euros, without which the regular functioning of this sovereign body will be at risk next year.
