In three months time…
The services and bodies supervised by Portugal’s ministry of economy and maritime affairs have three months to publish online a prevention plan, code of conduct, training programme and reporting channel to combat corruption, writes Lusa today.
According to order no. 8680/2023, published in State gazette Diário da República this morning, the aim is to “put into practice in the area of the economy and maritime affairs” the “tools and instruments necessary to prevent and combat corruption and fraud” made available by the existing legal and regulatory framework, within the scope of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy 2020-2024.
Under the terms of the law published, it is the responsibility of all services and bodies under the ministry of economy and maritime affairs – including the mission structures under their direction or oversight – to adopt and implement a plan to prevent risks of corruption, related offences and conflicts of interest, as well as a code of conduct, a training programme and a whistleblowing channel.
All these instruments “must be published on the website of the department or organisation to which they relate within a maximum of three months”.
In addition, the order stipulates that the departments under minister António Costa Silva’s control must “adopt the ‘checklist’ for combating collusion in public procurement” attached to the decree, “drawn up in accordance with the recommendations of the Competitions Authority” and which “must accompany the award proposals submitted by the jury or, failing that, by whoever analyses the proposals”.
In order to guarantee and control the application of the various instruments provided for in the order, the organisations concerned must appoint a person responsible “from among their senior management or equivalent”.
The services and bodies of the ministry of economy and maritime affairs that employ fewer than 50 workers will have the support of the ministry’s general secretariat in drawing up and implementing the decree, and must send this service a report on the monitoring and application of the various instruments by 15 March each year.
By the end of April each year, the ministry’s general secretariat must submit a report on the monitoring and implementation of the decree, with recommendations, for approval by the minister in charge, which must be published on the website of the various services and organisations.
Nationally, this is a country in which 93% of the population believe corruption is endemic. Nationally, this government is seen as one that has consistently devalued corruption – repeatedly referring to the scourge but never actually doing anything concrete about it.
As pundits have said with regularity: “Announcements are made, but very little ever moves forwards”.
It remains to be seen whether today’s news from Lusa is further evidence of the former, or the start of a different approach.
Source material: LUSA
