Government adapts the Recover Portugal Mission Structure to the closing phase

The Council of Ministers approved Council of Ministers Resolution no. 196/2026, of October 9, which adapts the «Recuperar Portugal» Mission Structure to the closing phase of the Recovery and Resilience Plan. The regulation, published in the Diário da República, 1st series, no. 196, of October 9, 2026, sets the mandate of the structure until December 31, 2028, and enters into force on the day following its publication. The decision was signed by the Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, on October 1, 2026.

This is the sixth amendment to Council of Ministers Resolution no. 46-B/2021, of May 4, which created the structure responsible for the technical and management coordination of the PRR’s execution. The Government justifies the change due to the approaching end of the plan’s execution: the submission of the final payment request does not terminate the Portuguese State’s obligations regarding monitoring, reporting, control and auditing, communication of irregularities, data preservation, and cooperation with European institutions.

The preamble invokes the European Commission Communication C/2026/2614, regarding the operational aspects of the final phase and closure of the Recovery and Resilience Facility, and the guidelines relating to post-2026 ecological reporting for financial instruments whose projects remain under execution. The resolution is adopted under paragraph 1 of article 28 of Law no. 4/2004, of January 15, paragraph 1 of article 6 of Decree-Law no. 29-B/2021, of May 4, and subparagraph g) of article 199 of the Constitution.

New competencies until closure

The text includes the closure of the PRR in the mission and objectives of the structure, which will now coordinate the preparation and submission of the final payment request, the organization of the closure of investments and reforms, and the drafting of the plan’s final report. It will also monitor PRR-funded investments that require more time for completion and have been subject to reprogramming.

Reporting, auditing, and single point of contact

The structure responds to verifications, controls, audits, and inquiries from the European Commission, the European Court of Auditors, the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and, where applicable, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO). It also assumes the functions of the national single point of contact for these entities, including the coordination of access to sites, facilities, data, documents, and beneficiaries.

The established obligations include:

• Continuous reporting of irregularities through the Irregularity Management System (IMS) and, where applicable, the EU Send platform.
• Communication to OLAF and the EPPO, without delay and without time limit, of any suspicions of fraud or corruption.
• Preservation, integrity, security, and accessibility of RRP data and documents until at least December 31, 2031, under the terms of Article 22 of Regulation (EU) 2021/241.
• Coordination with the Agency for Development and Cohesion, I. P. and the GPEARI of the Ministry of Finance in interactions and contacts with the European Commission.

Extendable mandate

The mandate of “Recuperar Portugal” lasts until December 31, 2028, and may be extended by a reasoned decision, through a new resolution of the Council of Ministers. The extension depends on the degree of achievement of the objectives, assessed by the final report, the status of the closure process of the RRF and the RRP, and the continued existence of obligations to respond to audits, controls, and investigations, to report irregularities, and to preserve data.

The regulation directly concerns beneficiaries, municipalities, and executing entities of European funds, who are now subject to a control regime that extends for several years after the end of execution. The extension of the mandate and the preservation obligations until 2031 signals that the scrutiny over the application of RRP funds does not end with the final payment request.

Source: Diário da República, 1st series, no. 196, of October 9, 2026, section I, page 1 (official reference: Council of Ministers Resolution no. 196/2026).