Without prejudice to the competence of the Plenary and the remaining specialised committees, in the performance of its duties, the European Affairs Committee (CAE) is specifically responsible for:
– Monitoring and considering, pursuant to the Constitution [in particular Article 161(n) and Article 163(f)] and Law no. 43/2006 of 25 August 2006, in its current wording, all matters of interest to Portugal in the context of the construction of Europe, European institutions or cooperation between the Member States of the European Union, in particular, the action of the Government on such matters;
– Encouraging greater involvement of the Assembleia da República in the work of the European institutions, namely by promoting meetings or hearings with the European Union’s institutions, bodies and agencies on matters that are relevant to Portugal’s participation in the construction of the European Union;
– Intensifying, in particular, exchanges between the Assembleia da República and the European Parliament by proposing appropriate reciprocal facilities and regular meetings (in person or via videoconferences) with interested Members, particularly those elected in Portugal;
– Promoting interparliamentary cooperation within the European Union, namely – and without prejudice to the competences of other bodies – by establishing and maintaining contact with counterpart committees and relations between the Assembleia da República and national parliaments of the Member States of the European Union within the scope of implementing the Protocol on the role of national parliaments in the European Union and the Protocol on the application of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality attached to the treaties governing the European Union;
– Requesting from the Government the information needed for the Assembleia da República to monitor and assess Portugal’s participation in the process of constructing the European Union;
– Promoting hearings with the Government before and after European Council meetings;
– Preparing and approving opinions on documents that the Government submits to the Assembleia da República concerning the European Union or that it is obliged to submit to European Union institutions;
– Promoting the implementation of formal mechanisms for the Assembleia da República to effectively monitor, assess and pronounce itself, namely by preparing an opinion, when matters within the sphere of the exclusive legislative competence of the Assembleia da República are pending decision in bodies of the European Union;
– Collaborating with the other committees with responsibility for the matter in question in the monitoring and follow-up of dossiers in the context of the process of constructing the European Union;
– Liaising with the specialised committees with responsibility for the matter in question on the exchange of information and appropriate forms of collaboration to achieve efficient intervention by the Assembleia da República in matters concerning the construction of the European Union, with particular reference to drawing up an opinion by the Assembleia da República on whether or not a draft normative act that is pending at the European institutions complies with the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality;
– Applying the methodology defining the process for drawing up reports and opinions on compliance with the principle of subsidiarity by draft legislative acts of the European Union, taking into account the time limits and procedures stemming from the Protocol on the role of national parliaments in the European Union and the Protocol on the application of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality attached to the treaties governing the European Union;
– Presenting draft resolutions on draft European acts of a normative nature to be submitted to the Plenary for consideration and decision;
– Holding an annual meeting with the members of the Legislative Assemblies of the Autonomous Regions, maintaining the necessary dialogue with the respective counterpart bodies for the practical application of the principle of subsidiarity, also asking them for an opinion where regional legislative competences are concerned in the consideration of initiatives;
– Proposing the appointment of the Portuguese representatives in the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union (COSAC), and considering their work and the results of the Conference;
– Participating, in collaboration with the other parliamentary committees involved, in the appointment of the delegation of the Assembleia da República to the Inter-parliamentary Conference for the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the Common Security and Defence Policy (CFSP/CSDP) and to the Inter-parliamentary Conference on Economic and Financial Governance of the European Union (Conference under Article 13 of the TSCG);
– Promoting the hearing and consideration of the curricula vitae of those selected to be appointed or nominated by the Government for offices of a non‐judicial or judicial nature in the institutions, bodies or agencies of the European Union;
– Promoting hearings and debates on European matters with civil society representatives, contributing to the creation of a European public space at the national level.
In the performance of its duties, the Committee on Economic Affairs, Public Works, Planning and Housing (CEOPPH) is specifically responsible for exercising its competences and political control, in particular in the following sectoral policies:
– Industry;
– Management of industrial property;
– Trade and services;
– Supervision and regulation of economic activities;
– Investment and internationalisation of businesses, including economic diplomacy;
– Models to attract foreign investment;
– Territorial cohesion and competitiveness, in conjunction with the Committee on Public Administration, Spatial Planning and Local Government;
– Entrepreneurship, competitiveness and innovation;
– Tourism;
– Competition;
– Consumer protection, including the consideration of the legislative side of consumer rights and the oversight of economic activities (Portuguese Competition Authority [AdC] and Economic and Food Safety Authority [ASAE]);
– Technology development and technology transfer;
– Digital transition;
– Europe 2020 strategy and Europe 2030 strategy;
– National strategic reference framework and European Structural and Investment Funds;
– Recovery and resilience plan;
– Banco Português de Fomento [national promotional bank], within the framework of financing and economic development policies;
– National Reform Programme;
– Construction and public works;
– Monitoring and promoting the quality of road infrastructure, as well as meeting mobility needs, in accordance with the duties of the Institute for Mobility and Transportation, without prejudice to the competence of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, Rights, Freedoms and Guarantees in the field of road safety;
– Land transport (road and rail);
– Maritime and river transport and the port sector;
– Air transport and airport sector;
– Mobility;
– Communications and postal services;
– Policy on housing, leasing, and housing stock and urban management, conservation and regeneration;
– National Ocean Strategy 2021-2030, in liaison with the Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries and the Committee on the Environment and Energy, due to the matters concerned;
– Integrated Maritime Policy of the European Union, without prejudice to the competence of the National Defence Committee for maritime affairs under the Ministry of Defence;
– Monitoring of the process of extension of the Portuguese continental platform;
– National maritime spatial planning and management;
– National maritime and port plan;
– Development of the blue economy, including emerging maritime industries, in liaison with the Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries and the Committee on the Environment and Energy;
– Nautical tourism and recreational boating;
– Science, innovation and technology within the scope of the blue economy, without prejudice to the competences of the Committee on Education and Science.
In the performance of its duties, the Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries is responsible for exercising its competences in the areas indicated below:
A. Agriculture
– Agriculture, from the point of view of the production of goods and services, from inputs to trade;
– Livestock farming from the point of view of animal production, in particular, the feeding and welfare of production animals;
– Forest and plant health;
– Animal health;
– Rural development (such as irrigation, agricultural insurance, production support infrastructure);
– Land-ownership structure;
– National agricultural reserve;
– Common land;
– Beekeeping, hunting, and other activities carried out in a rural or forest environment, without prejudice to the competences specifically conferred on the Committee on the Environment and Energy and the Committee on Economic Affairs, Public Works, Planning and Housing;
– Production and conservation forestry;
– Management and spatial planning of forests and forest stands – Forest Reform, National Forest Strategy – without prejudice to the competences conferred on the Committee on the Environment and Energy;
– Forest fires from the perspective of prevention and combat;
– Agricultural implications of environmental policy and effects of climate change on agricultural and forestry production.
B. Fisheries and related maritime affairs
– Fisheries, aquaculture and the chain of fish products;
– Recreational fishing;
– Fishing ports;
– Conditions governing fishing activities, without prejudice to the competences of the Committee on Employment, Social Security and Inclusion;
– Monitoring maritime affairs relating to fisheries and aquaculture, specifically allocated to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, in particular as regards integrated maritime policy, maritime services, port protection works, maritime security and the coordination of national and European funds under the Mar2020 Operational Programme;
– National Ocean Strategy 2021-2030, as regards fisheries and aquaculture policies, in conjunction with the Committee on Economic Affairs, Public Works, Planning and Housing and the Committee on the Environment and Energy.
C. Food
– Agro-industry and food systems;
– Food, nutrition and gastronomy from the perspective of consumption, promotion and marketing, packaging and trading on national and international markets;
– Food safety and sustainability;
– Genetically modified organisms.
D. European policy, trade agreements, science and innovation
– European policies in the field of agriculture, fisheries and rural development, such as the common agricultural policy and the common fisheries policy, as well as national and EU financial instruments belonging to these common policies;
–Trade agreements between the European Union/Portugal and other economic blocs concerning agro forestry products;
– Monitoring matters relating to agriculture, forestry, fisheries and food in international fora and organisations;
– Science, innovation and technology in the fields of agriculture and forestry, without prejudice to the competences conferred in this respect on the Committee on Economic Affairs, Public Works, Planning and Housing, the Committee on the Environment and Energy and the Committee on Education and Science.
The Committee is responsible for monitoring policies in the areas under the responsibility of the Minister of Education and the Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education in the following areas:
– Education, including all education systems and levels, without prejudice to coordination with the Committee on Culture, Communication, Youth and Sport with regard to school sport;
– Science and technology, including, inter alia, subjects related to science and technology-based innovation, space, guidelines on digital skills, scientific computing, dissemination of scientific and technological culture and international scientific and technological cooperation, in particular with countries whose official language is Portuguese;
– Information and knowledge society in Portugal, in matters whose coordination is the responsibility of the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia [Foundation for Science and Technology], a public agency under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education;
– The treatment of copyright and related rights by the Committee on Education and Science on matters concerning creators in the field of education and science is to be performed without prejudice to the specific competence of the Committee on Culture, Communication, Youth and Sport regarding the media and culture.
The Committee is also responsible for coordinating the development of the “Young People’s Parliament” Programme.
In the performance of its duties, the Committee on Employment, Social Security and Inclusion (CTSSI) is specifically responsible for exercising its competences and political control, in particular, in the following areas:
– Labour, including labour relations and working conditions;
– Solidarity and social security policies;
– Employment and vocational training policies;
– Schemes governing social protection and retirement from the civil service, without prejudice to the specific competences of the Committee on Public Administration, Spatial Planning and Local Government;
– Occupational health and safety;
– Social policies to support families, children, parenthood, the elderly and care for dependent people;
– Policies to combat poverty and promote social inclusion;
– Social economy, cooperative sector and volunteering;
– Persons with disabilities and policies for their inclusion;
– Protection of children and young people at risk in matters related to social security, without prejudice to the necessary coordination with the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, Rights, Freedoms and Guarantees, which is competent in this area.
Regarding public professional associations – professional chambers and associations – the Committee has specific responsibilities for matters relating to the creation, wind-up, merger and demerger of professional associations and all subsequent changes concerning engagement in the profession. Where doubts arise as to the nature of the proposed changes to public professional associations, and where the subject matter of the initiative is connected not only to the sphere of competence of the Committee on Employment, Social Security and Inclusion because it concerns the regulation of a professional association but also to the material framework of competences of another standing committee, it may also be referred to this Committee for the issuance of a general opinion. For historical and institutional reasons, the legislative procedures relating to the statutes of the Portuguese Bar Association, the Solicitadores and Enforcement Agents National Association and the Portuguese Chamber of Notaries, and the statutes of the Portuguese Medical Association, the Portuguese Pharmacists’ Association, the Portuguese Dental Association and the Portuguese Nurses Association are exceptions to the above, as they must be monitored by the parliamentary committees with competence for the corresponding subjects, respectively, the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, Rights, Freedoms and Guarantees and the Health Committee.
In the performance of its duties, the Committee on the Environment and Energy (CAENE) is specifically responsible for exercising its competences and political control in the areas under the responsibility of the member of the Government responsible for the environment and climate action, in respect of the environment, energy, nature conservation and forests.
In particular, the Committee is responsible for monitoring matters related to:
– Sustainable development;
– Climate crisis, including climate change mitigation and adaptation measures, the national strategy for controlling greenhouse gases and management of extreme events in climate change scenarios;
– Nature conservation, biodiversity, national ecological reserve (REN), network of protected areas and national agricultural reserve (RAN), as part of spatial planning;
– Water resources and waterway policy and management, including matters relating to the right of access to potable water, the quality of water intended for human consumption, water services and management, and other matters falling within the scope of the Water Framework Directive;
– Waste policy and waste management and treatment;
– Circular economy and resource efficiency;
– Recovery and valorisation of contaminated land and other sites;
– Prevention, control and reduction of all forms of pollution and environmental degradation, including the marine environment, as well as the assessment of environmental impacts and remediation of damage to the environment;
– International and regional measures and agreements aimed at protecting the environment;
– Environmental implications of agricultural policy;
– Forests, in terms of conservation, environmental protection, sustainable development and social and territorial cohesion;
– Geological resources and energy, in cooperation with the Committee on Economic Affairs, Public Works, Planning and Housing, with regard to existing resources on the soil and subsoil of the national maritime space;
– Energy policy, in particular as regards its integration with environmental and energy planning measures, including the monitoring of the National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) and the link between renewable energy sources and the National Climate Change Plan (NCCP), as well as the monitoring of energy transition projects in Portugal, photovoltaic, aeolian, onshore and offshore, and renewable gas projects in Portugal;
– Strategy and implementation of PO SEUR – Operational Programme for Sustainability and Efficient Use of Resources and other funds from the areas within the remit of the member of the Government responsible for the environment and climate action;
– Animal protection and welfare, with the exception of livestock and matters concerning production;
– Sustainable urban mobility, in terms of the environmental management of cities and means of organising social life;
– Territorial management instruments, in terms of nature and biodiversity protection;
– Coastline;
– Strategy and implementation of national and EU funds under the responsibility of the member of the Government responsible for the environment and energy, in particular the Environmental Fund, and Strategic Goals 2 – a greener Portugal and 3 – a more connected Portugal under the Partnership Agreement Portugal 2030.
1. In the performance of its duties, the Committee on Culture, Communication, Youth and Sport is responsible for exercising its competences of monitoring and political supervision in the areas of culture, media, youth and sport.
2.
Therefore, the Committee is responsible for:
– In the field of culture, dealing, in particular, with matters concerning language, heritage, arts, creative and cultural industries, and also copyright and related rights (as regards cultural creators, artists and performers and the creative and cultural industries);
– In the field of
communication, dealing with policies concerning the media, including, inter alia, matters related to their public and private bodies, public radio and television services, digital terrestrial television and new generations of broadband; dealing with policies on communication and new communication channels, such as social media and blogs; dealing with matters linked to copyright in connection with the media, without prejudice to the need for coordination with the Committee on Education and Science with regard to scientific creation.
– In the field of youth, dealing with matters concerning youth, namely as regards volunteering, health and sexuality, leisure activities, education, employment and entrepreneurship, and housing, without prejudice to the specific competences of the other parliamentary committees, in particular the Committee on Education and Science as regards education, the Health Committee as regards health and sexuality, the Committee on Employment, Social Security and Inclusion as regards employment, and the Committee on Economic Affairs, Public Works, Planning and Housing as regards housing;
– In the area of sport, particularly with regard to programmes to encourage the practice of sport, ethics and violence, federated sport, including the Olympic and Paralympic cycles, high-performance sport and the monitoring of the situation in the national sport movement, and school sport, without prejudice to coordination with the Committee on Education and Science.
In the performance of its duties, the Committee on Public Administration, Spatial Planning and Local Government (CAPOTPL) is specifically responsible for exercising its competences and political control, in particular, in the following areas:
– Public administration in cooperation with the parliamentary committees with responsibility for the matter in question;
– Legal scheme governing public employment;
– Schemes governing social protection and retirement from the civil service, without prejudice to the specific competences of the Committee on Employment, Social Security and Inclusion;
– Modernisation, innovation and administrative digitalisation of the state and public administration;
– Measures and programmes concerning local Government;
– Administrative decentralisation, through the transfer by legislative means of competences from state bodies to bodies of local authorities and inter-municipal entities;
– Territorial cohesion, in connection with the Committee on Economic Affairs, Public Works, Planning and Housing;
– Promoting, within the scope of the legislative procedure, the consultation of the National Association of Portuguese Municipalities (ANMP) and the National Association of Parishes (ANAFRE), in the case of bills on local authorities involving, in particular, the following matters:
a) The statute of local authorities, including the rules governing local finances;
b) The scheme governing municipal police forces and their form of establishment;
c) Promotion of hearings with the respective local authority bodies upon the creation, wind-up or change of local authorities and their respective scheme, without prejudice to the powers of the autonomous regions.
– Spatial planning model and management (within the remit of the Ministry of Territorial Cohesion);
– National geographic information policy.
The Committee is responsible, in particular, for examining matters relating to the fundamental rights and duties enshrined in the Constitution and the law, in all matters falling within the competences of the Committee; pronouncing itself on all matters concerning instances of incompatibility, inability, disqualification, waiver of immunities, conflicts of interest, suspension and loss of the mandate as Member; pronouncing itself on any issues that may in any way affect the mandate as Member and the conditions governing its exercise; and dealing with other matters attributed to it by law or by the Rules of Procedure.
1– In the performance of its duties, the Committee is fully responsible for:
a)
Examining cases of incompatibility, inability and disqualification of Members of the Assembleia da República and, in cases of breaches of the law or the Rules of Procedure, conducting the corresponding proceedings and issuing the respective opinion;
b)
Receiving and registering declarations that raise possible conflicts of interest;
c)
Considering, upon a request by the declarants or the President of the Assembleia da República, any conflicts of interest raised, and issuing an opinion thereon;
d)
Considering the possible existence of conflicts of interest that have not been the object of a declaration, also issuing the respective opinion thereon;
e) Considering whether declarations are correct, either on an ex officio basis or upon a duly substantiated request by any citizen exercising their political rights;
f)
Issuing an opinion on the verification of the credentials of Members of the Assembleia da República;
g)
Pronouncing itself on the waiving of immunity pursuant to the Statute of Members;
h)
Issuing opinions on a Member’s suspension and loss of mandate;
i)
Conducting proceedings in challenges against eligibility and loss of mandate;
j)
Conducting inquiries with regard to facts that have occurred within the scope of the Assembleia da República and compromise the honour or dignity of any Member, as well as any serious irregularities committed in breach of the duties of Members of the Assembleia da República, on its own initiative, at the request of the Member or upon a decision of the President of the Assembleia da República;
k)
Issuing general statements and recommendations promoting good parliamentary practice;
l)
Considering any other issues concerning the mandate of Members of the Assembleia da República.
2 – The assessment of any facts or proceedings concerning Members of the Assembleia da República must always safeguard the political freedom to exercise the mandate, and the implementation of any of the envisaged measures must be subject to a prior hearing with the Members concerned.
3 – In the context of cooperation with judicial authorities, in the situations provided for in Article 11(8) of the Statute of Members, the decision to refer non-publicly accessible matters concerning Members of the Assembleia da República to the above authorities is the responsibility of the Committee, after examining the request, with due regard to judicial secrecy, where appropriate.
4 – The provisions of the preceding paragraph apply mutatis mutandis to requests submitted by entities outside the Assembleia da República.
5 – In accordance with paragraph 1(l), the Committee is responsible for considering all matters relating to the nature and scope of the mandate of Members as referred to in Article 1 of the Statute of Members, including, where relevant, legislative and regulatory matters.
6 – The Committee is also responsible for ensuring the implementation of the Code of Conduct for the Members of the Assembleia da República and exercising the competences provided for therein, in particular:
a) developing supplementary rules for the implementation of the legal rules on offers and hospitality;
b)
drawing up an annual report on the implementation of the Code and the Committee’s activity in that field.
7 – Without prejudice to Article 35 of the Rules of Procedure of the Assembleia da República, the Committee is also responsible for considering and pronouncing itself on:
a) Matters concerning the regime governing the exercise of functions by political officeholders and senior public officeholders, their reporting obligations and sanctioning regime;
b) Issues raised with regard to the regime of the activity and the prevention of conflicts of interest of private organisations wishing to participate, in accordance with the law, in the definition and implementation of public policies and legislation, an activity commonly referred to as lobbying;
c) Issues concerning transparency measures applicable to political officeholders and senior public officeholders.
8 – It is the Committee’s primary or related responsibility, as appropriate, to consider legislative initiatives, draft resolutions or decisions concerning the matters referred to in the preceding paragraphs.