Portugal has made progress in adopting measures to prevent corruption in the higher levels of central government and in law-enforcement agencies, according to the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) of the Council of Europe in a new follow-up report. However, GRECO concluded that further action is needed.
In 2023 GRECO made 28 recommendations in its 5th round evaluation report, but to date Portugal has implemented 18 recommendations partially and has yet to implement ten.
Regarding the central-government executive, GRECO finds that the authorities have made some progress in several key areas, highlighting the now operational National Anti-Corruption Mechanism and the Entity for Transparency, and the code of conduct adopted by the new government.
However, GRECO considers that the authorities should take more determined action to ensure that integrity controls are effectively applied to all individuals operating at the highest levels of central government. It also underscores that neither the new National Anti-Corruption Strategy and its related Action Plan for the period 2025-28, nor a corruption-risk-prevention plan specific to individuals with executive roles, have been adopted yet. GRECO urged the authorities to clarify the rules on gifts further and to ensure the timely publication of information entered in the central register of gifts. The report stresses that asset disclosure and post-employment requirements should be extended to cabinet members, and that all declarations of assets, interests and liabilities of individuals in senior executive roles be made publicly accessible in practice.
Regarding law-enforcement agencies, the report notes positively the adoption of the new code of conduct for the Public Security Police and the ongoing work to finalise a new code of conduct for the National Republican Guard, and that these bodies now have internal whistleblowing reporting channels.
Nevertheless, the report highlights the need to improve gender balance, establish a confidential-counselling mechanism and a system of regular vetting. The report also notes that both forces still need to develop dedicated anti-corruption strategies and that the staffing of the Inspectorate General for Internal Affairs (IGAI) should be increased.
GRECO has invited the Portuguese authorities to report on the progress achieved in implementing its recommendations by 30 September 2026.
The Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) is a Council of Europe body that aims to improve the capacity of its members to fight corruption by monitoring their compliance with anti-corruption standards. It helps states to identify deficiencies in national anti-corruption policies, prompting the necessary legislative, institutional and practical reforms. It comprises the 46 Council of Europe member states, Kazakhstan and the United States of America.
