Court of Auditors President criticizes government reform proposal

Filipa Urbano Calvão, president of the Court of Auditors (Tribunal de Contas), has criticized a government proposal for the entity's new organization. During a hearing with the Parliamentary Commission for State Reform, Calvão stated that the incentives within the proposed law to ensure the Public Administration manages resources in accordance with the law are “loose and insufficient.”

Calvão warned of potential risks to public finances, specifically regarding changes that aim to apply prior approval (visto prévio) to public contracts equal to or greater than ten million euros. While she noted that the Court is not opposed to reforming the legislation governing its functioning, she expressed concerns about the government advancing a new financial management control model while changes to the Budgetary Framework Law are simultaneously underway.

She emphasized that the goal of “liberating the Public Administration from shackles,” a concept defended by Assistant Minister and State Reform Minister Gonçalo Matias, must not be incompatible with an effective and efficient control model.