Policy Brief: The Concept of NGOs in Portugal
Portugal currently lacks a unified legal concept for non-governmental organisations (NGOs), a lacuna that carries significant implications for the formulation of public policies designed to support these entities. It also hampers the economic characterisation of the sector and the assessment of its overall impact, while introducing legal uncertainty and possible inconsistencies in the classification of entities operating within the Portuguese context. We recognise that this issue calls for deeper analysis, contrasting the absence of a general framework with the existence of specific legal regimes and highlighting the need for conceptual clarification to support coherent policymaking. The lack of a shared legal definition produces tangible, practical effects, and thus cannot be regarded as merely academic. This situation raises concerns about the adequacy of externally imposed concepts and about the pressing need for leading funders and support structures in the third sector to engage actively in the cultivation of a renewed legal ecosystem, one more attuned to national realities. Such concerns become even more pressing when we observe that various European countries have developed distinct legal approaches to NGOs. These provide a fruitful comparative basis that may help inform and support potential legislative developments in Portugal.
Duration: July 2025 – December 2025.
PI: Andreia Sofia Pinto Oliveira
Team: João Vilas Boas Pinto, Ana Rodrigues, Joana Gil Carvalho, Robert Junqueira
Funding: Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation