Portugal proposes judicial reforms to reduce court backlogs

The Portuguese government has submitted a legislative proposal to the Assembly of the Republic aimed at reducing delays within administrative and tax courts. The bill, identified as Law No. 98/XVII, seeks to grant the Superior Council of Administrative and Tax Courts (CSTAF) increased authority to manage judicial workloads.

Key measures include the ability to redistribute cases and judges to balance workloads and prevent excessive burdens on specific magistrates. The proposal also introduces the creation of specialized courts dedicated to immigration and international protection to address the high volume of pending cases in these areas.

Additionally, the reform allows the Superior Council to set annual limits on the number of cases assigned to each judge, establish maximum deadlines for tasks when not explicitly defined by law, and prioritize long-stagnant processes. The legislation also includes new rules regarding tax arbitration and mechanisms to accelerate specific cases when legal deadlines have been exceeded beyond a reasonable timeframe.