In a written answer on 29 June 2026, Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto, on behalf of the European Commission, addressed concerns over a potential conflict of interest at Portugal's Agency for Investment and Foreign Trade (AICEP) following its decision to merge fund management into a single department. Fitto stressed that while the Commission lacks specific information on the reorganisation, general EU rules require adequate operational separation between project evaluation, expenditure verification, and payment authorisation, even within one directorate. The answer signals the Commission's expectation that Portugal's audit authority will assess whether the new setup meets regulatory criteria, and that the Commission may request corrective action if deficiencies emerge.
The question was tabled on 27 May 2026 by Portuguese S&D MEP Carla Tavares, who noted that AICEP had previously maintained separate directorates for incentive analysis and verification, in line with Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 and national Decree-Law No 5/2023. Tavares asked whether the consolidation, enacted via AICEP Service Order No 15/2025 of 3 October 2025, ensures compliance with the principle of separation of functions and what steps should be taken to improve transparency and mitigate conflicts of interest.
Fitto's answer did not announce concrete new measures or numerical targets, but instead reaffirmed general principles and outlined best practices: separate teams for each role, defined workflows preventing overlap, strong internal controls such as independent reviews and approval chains, and documented audit trails. The Commission will continue to monitor EU fund implementation in Portugal and may request corrective actions if the audit authority reports deficiencies. The response leaves the primary responsibility with Portuguese authorities, while keeping the door open for future Commission intervention.
it upholds existing rules without pre-judging the reorganisation, but signals that operational segregation is non-negotiable. Institutional follow-up will depend on the Portuguese audit authority's assessment and subsequent reporting to the Commission, with potential corrective measures if needed. Stakeholders most impacted include AICEP (which may need to adjust its internal structure), Portuguese beneficiaries of EU funds (who face potential delays if corrective actions are required), the Portuguese audit authority (tasked with verifying compliance), and the European Commission (as the ultimate guardian of sound financial management).