Portugal's Council of Ministers has approved a national anti-corruption agenda comprising 42 measures across prevention, education, and repression, Justice Minister Rita Alarcão Júdice announced on April 14, 2026. Of these, 17 measures are already concluded, with the remainder in progress except for three yet to be initiated, pending evaluation of recently implemented regimes. The agenda, originally adopted on June 20, 2024, under the previous government, follows broad consultations with parliamentary parties, public entities, academia, and civil society.
The announcement builds on recent EU-level anti-corruption efforts. On March 25, 2026, Commissioner Michael McGrath proposed a comprehensive EU Directive to harmonise definitions of offences like misappropriation and illicit enrichment, and to equip law enforcement with investigative powers akin to those in organised crime cases. That proposal marked the EU's first common legal instrument specifically targeting corruption beyond bribery. McGrath also highlighted the need for enhanced rule of law safeguards during a March 24 speech to the Slovakian Parliament, emphasising the Commission's monitoring role across all Member States.
Portugal's agenda aligns with these EU initiatives, reinforcing the principle that no one is above the law and that corruption must not pay. Minister Júdice stressed that corruption undermines citizens' trust in institutions, distorts market functioning, and damages democracy and the rule of law. She also noted its transnational dimension, facilitating terrorism financing, drug trafficking, arms trafficking, and money laundering. To bolster enforcement, the government has strengthened the Judicial Police through recruitment of new professionals and investment in digital investigation tools, aiming to increase the justice system's capacity for rigorous investigations.
prevention, education, and repression. While 17 measures are completed, the remaining are in legislative progress or implementation phases. The three uninitiated measures are planned for later stages, dependent on assessments of recently enacted regimes. This domestic push complements EU-wide efforts, including the Commission's 2025 Rule of Law Report, which covers justice systems, anti-corruption, media freedom, and institutional checks and balances across Member States and enlargement countries.
Stakeholders impacted include Portuguese judicial authorities, who will see increased resources and digital tools; EU regulatory bodies, which gain a model for national implementation of the upcoming Directive; Portuguese citizens, who benefit from enhanced institutional integrity; and businesses, which face a more transparent market environment but may incur compliance costs from new anti-corruption measures.
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