Portuguese Parliament approves Court of Auditors reform

The Portuguese Parliament has approved amendments to the reform of the Court of Auditors (TdC), modifying the threshold for public contracts exempt from prior visa oversight. While the government’s initial proposal sought to exempt contracts up to 10 million euros, the approved version sets this limit at 7.5 million euros.

These changes, introduced by the PSD, aim to reduce the administrative burden on public procurement while maintaining certain levels of oversight. Additionally, the PS successfully introduced a requirement for contracts exceeding 950,000 euros to be communicated to the Court of Auditors, even if they are exempt from the prior visa process.

The reform affects how the Court of Auditors monitors the legality and budgetary compliance of public expenditures and contracts. The Ministry of State Reform, led by Gonçalo Matias, described the outcome as a balanced result achieved through negotiation.