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Portugal proposes 90‑day deadline for court decisions in CIP‑backed reform
A study commissioned by the Confederation of Portuguese Business (CIP) and the Instituto Adelino da Costa (IDL) recommends that Portugal concentrate on a single operational goal: all administrative and fiscal court cases should receive a decision within 90 days. The proposal is authored by economist Nuno Palma of the University of Manchester and Nobel laureate James A. Robinson of the University of Chicago. It argues that faster justice would remove a key uncertainty that hampers investment and economic growth, and suggests measures such as reforming public‑sector hiring, strengthening regulator independence, simplifying tax rules, and introducing weekly, anonymised productivity reports of judges to the President of the Republic.
The Council Superior of Administrative and Fiscal Courts (CSTAF) has criticised the plan, saying that imposing a 90‑day deadline would breach procedural guarantees, the right to a fair defence and the principle of separation of powers. CSTAF cites current average resolution times of 511 days for administrative cases, 711 days for fiscal cases and 412 days for judicial cases, arguing that the target could only be met by suppressing legal safeguards.
CIP president Armindo Monteiro echoed the study’s view that the sluggish justice system is a major obstacle to Portugal’s economic potential, calling the reforms an investment that would yield returns for the country.
Entities
Confederation of Portuguese Business (CIP) · Confederação Empresarial de Portugal (CIP) · Conselho Superior dos Tribunais Administrativos e Fiscais (CSTAF) · Institute Amaro da Costa (IDL) · Instituto Adelino da Costa (IDL) · James A. Robinson · Nuno Palma · Portugal
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The Council Superior of Administrative and Fiscal Courts says the 90‑day deadline would violate procedural rights and the principle of separation of powers.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The average resolution time for judicial cases in Portugal was 412 days at the end of 2024.
- [● 3 SOURCES] The study’s authors are Nuno Palma, professor at the University of Manchester, and James A. Robinson, Nobel‑prize‑winning economist at the University of Chicago. www.cmjornal.pt · www.dn.pt · sapo.pt
- [● 2 SOURCES] The study proposes weekly anonymised reporting of judges’ productivity to the President of the Republic. www.cmjornal.pt · www.dn.pt
- [● 3 SOURCES] A study commissioned by CIP and IDL proposes that all administrative and fiscal court cases in Portugal be decided within 90 days. www.cmjornal.pt · www.dn.pt · sapo.pt
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The average resolution time for administrative cases in Portugal was 511 days at the end of 2024.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The average resolution time for fiscal cases in Portugal was 711 days at the end of 2024.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] CIP president Armindo Monteiro says the slow justice system is a major obstacle to Portugal’s economic growth. sapo.pt