Frequently Asked Questions

Portugal 2030 embodies the Partnership Agreement between Portugal and the European Commission, which sets out the major strategic objectives for the application, between 2021 and 2027, of the global amount of 23 billion euros.

The funding comes from the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) - 11.5 billion euros, plus 139 million euros relating to European Territorial Cooperation (CTE); from the ESF+ (European Social Fund) - 7.8 billion euros; from the Cohesion Fund - 3.1 billion euros; from the Fund for a Just Transition - 224 million euros and from the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (FEAMPA) - 393 million euros.

Added to these amounts is a transfer to the Interconnect Europe Mechanism - 1.048 billion euros.

Its programming is organized around five EU strategic objectives: smarter, greener, more connected, more social and closer to citizens.

Portugal 2030 has as its strategic framework the Portugal 2030 Strategy, approved by Resolution of the Council of Ministers no. 98/2020, of 13 November, structured around four central thematic agendas for the development of the economy, society and territory of Portugal for the horizon 2030.

Portugal 2030 is implemented through 12 programs: four of thematic scope - People 2030, dedicated to Demography, Qualifications and Inclusion; COMPETE 2030, dedicated to Innovation and Digital Transition; Sustainable 2030, dedicated to Climate Action and Sustainability and Sea 2030; five Regional, corresponding to the NUTS II of the Continent - North 2030, Centre 2030, Lisbon 2030, Alentejo 2030 and Algarve 2030; two of the Autonomous Regions - Azores 2030 and Madeira 2030; and PAT 2030 - Technical Assistance Program. To these must be added the European Territorial Cooperation Programs in which Portugal participates.

Together, these Programs mobilize the total of available resources, in a coordinated and coherent manner, in keeping with the principles of simplification, transparency, partnership, effectiveness, efficiency and results-oriented.

The Portugal 2030 Partnership Agreement was approved on 12 July 2021 and signed on 14 July by the Portuguese State and the European Commission, with all the programs approved by 15 December 2021.

The Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) is an integrated programme within the extraordinary funding package approved by the European Commission to provide the Eurozone countries with tools aimed at economic and social recovery, the Next Generation EU. The PRR is the national instrument of the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism approved by the European Commission. Given its extraordinary nature, the Recovery and Resilience Plan is a "super vitamin" intended to accelerate economic and social recovery and promote resilient and equitable transformation, putting Portugal on the path of the double transition, green and digital. The PRR includes a strategic vision, reforms and structural investments to be implemented by 2026. It was organized in 3 strategic dimensions, Resilience, Climate Transition and Digital Transition, which group 20 components, 83 investments and promote 37 reforms.

In total, the reforms and investments absorb 16,644 million euros of PRR funding, distributed by 13,944 million euros of subsidies (84%) and 2,700 million euros of loans through the Development Bank (16%).

The PRR has a centralized management structure in the relationship between the Member States and the European Commission. At the national level, the effectiveness in implementing the measures and achieving the results has influenced a two-level governance model: centralized in monitoring and control management and decentralized in execution, through intermediate and direct beneficiaries. The Recover Portugal Mission Structure is mandated to ensure the management, monitoring and technical coordination of the PRR. In other words, even at the management and follow-up model level, the PRR has unique characteristics when compared, for example, with the Multiannual Financial Framework.

The Governance Model has four levels of coordination:

Strategic level of political coordination, assured by the Interministerial Commission of the PRR, chaired by the Prime Minister and composed of the members of the Government responsible for the areas of Economy and Digital Transition, foreign affairs, the presidency, Finance, Planning and Environment, and Climate Action;

Monitoring level, assured by the National Monitoring Commission, chaired by an independent personality and personalities of recognized merit, and which integrates a broad set of entities from the business sector, science and knowledge, the social and cooperative area, and the territories;

Technical coordination and monitoring level, assured by the "Recover Portugal" mission structure, in articulation with the Development and Cohesion Agency, IP (Agency, IP) and the Planning, Strategy, Evaluation and International Relations Office of the Ministry of Finance (GPEARI);

For the implementation of the PRR there are 3 types of beneficiaries: intermediaries, direct and final. The implementation of the plan, its reforms and investments, will be contracted by the Recover Portugal Mission Structure with public agencies or bodies, which will be intermediate beneficiaries, that is, globally responsible for the physical and financial implementation of an investment registered in the PRR, but whose execution is ensured by third parties selected by them, namely companies. The direct beneficiaries are public entities with which the implementation and physical and financial execution of an investment registered in the PRR is contracted, allowing them to benefit from this financing, such as the implementation of innovation and digitalization measures of public services. The final beneficiaries may be people, companies and other private and public organizations.

Direct beneficiaries (agencies or public bodies) contract directly with the Recover Portugal Mission Structure the investments envisaged in the PRR.

Intermediate beneficiaries, after contracting with Recover Portugal, will launch competitions for final beneficiaries, which may be companies and other organizations, as well as individuals.

No. The PRR is for everyone and it takes collective commitment from everyone to reach all the milestones and commitments made to the European Commission.

The set of reforms presented in the PRR constitutes an ambitious package of actions that aims to promote simultaneously the transformation of the Portuguese economy and society, aiming at its adaptation to the challenges of the next decade, as well as ensuring, in an evolutionary and systematic approach, that the structural blocks to the economic, social and territorial development of the country are overcome. The investments proposed in the PRR, complemented by the reforms, aim to give body to this transformative and reformist character, promoting the conditions for a fairer, more equitable and sustainable economic and social development.

The planned disbursements for the PRR will be distributed according to the following calendar: 2021 – 20%; 2022 – 25%; 2023 – 20%; 2024 – 16%; 2025 – 16%; 2026 – 3%.

The Recover Portugal Mission Structure has implemented internal control procedures that allow the identification and mitigation of risks associated with duplicate financing with other European Union instruments and programs. In addition, the Internal Management and Control System defines a rigorous set of procedures to mitigate the risks identified in the management of the PRR, ensure the protection of the financial interests of the European Union and prevent, detect, report and correct situations of fraud, corruption and conflicts of interest. In this sense, Recuperar Portugal has published on the website www.recuperarportugal.gov.pt: the Ethics and Conduct Code of the EMRP; the Anti-Fraud Policy Statement; the Corruption and Related Offences Risk Management Plan. The internal control system is audited by the Audit and Control Commission.

Companies of any nature and under any legal form wishing to develop investment projects eligible for support, including individual entrepreneurs, may apply. It is mandatory that companies have organized accounting.

a) It must be constituted and legally with an accounting regime. Only legally constituted legal persons can apply for the Portugal 2030 incentive system;

b) Applications for European Programs.

Company constitution:

The company must be constituted and legalized, with an accounting regime. Only legally constituted legal persons can apply to the European funds incentive system. They may also apply under other support instruments, universities, private institutions of social solidarity (IPSS), public administration bodies and associations, among others.

Yes - in different calls for applications or funds.

No - you cannot have more than one project in the same application.

Yes. The beneficiary may carry out his activity in a leased establishment provided that he has a rental contract for that property for a period equal to or greater than the duration of the obligations arising from the acceptance/grant contract.

No. These expenses are borne by the beneficiary.

a) The applications must be accompanied by the respective architecture project approved by the competent municipal authority.

b) In the case of the project already being approved, but the company subsequently presents proposals for changes to the initial project, it is mandatory that the approval of these changes has taken place on a date prior to, or on the date of submission of the application.

No, you can only make an investment in one location per application, not at the same time, except for tourism.

Yes, provided it is properly certified and legalised.

Can I start investments without approval?

No, only after the date of submission of the application.

Yes, 2 years, except for information in the announcement with a defined deadline.

Yes, you can make an amendment to the contract, subject to approval; or you will have to submit a new application.

Yes, if you are an SME - Small and Medium Enterprises, otherwise not.

Minimum 5 or 10 companies, specific information in the applications.

Own Capital cannot be less than 25% of the investment amount.

In cases where the company only has 20% own capital, it can resort to 5% of the value in financing.

Taking into account that the activity was only started in the year of the application in order to prove the positive net situation, the Own Capitals of the entity must be presented at the date of the application.

Th list is available in each announcement.

The most common are:

· Permanent Certificate of the Company / Start of Activity Statement

· PME Certificate

· Certificate of No Debt to Tax Authority and Social Security

· Licensing for the project activity

· IES - Simplified Business Information

· Social Security Payment Extracts

· Budgets (usually 3 for each investment to be made, updated)

On the website determined by the entity of the respective fund.

No, it is specific to each fund and for each application. It requires a descriptive memory and financial projections prepared by a specific technician.

Applications must be submitted through the Funds Counter, an area of the Portugal 2030 Portal and the access point to the Operational Programmes financed by the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF), by filling in the corresponding electronic form(s).

However, some particular applications may be submitted through other access points that will be duly disclosed at the launch of the respective calls for applications.

Applications are analysed and selected by the Management Authorities of the respective Operational Programmes, or by the entities with competences for this purpose, in accordance with the eligibility and selection criteria set out in the specific legislation and in the notices for the submission of applications, by competition or invitation.

The reasoned decision on the applications is issued by the Management Authority within 60 working days from the closing date for its submission.

The deadline does not apply to the projects referred to in Article 18 of Decree-Law No. 159/2014 of 27 October, nor to investment contractual regime projects.

The aforementioned deadline is suspended when the candidate is requested any clarifications, information or documents, which can only occur once, or when opinions are requested from independent external experts from the governing bodies.

The decision is notified to the beneficiary by the Management Authority, within 5 working days from the date it is issued.

Potential beneficiaries are not, in principle, limited as to the number of applications to be submitted, whether to operations from the same programme or to operations from different programmes.

However, attention must be paid not only to the conditions provided for in the general regulation of the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF), but also to the other applicable provisions, by virtue of the specific regulation governing the respective types of operations and/or the notices concerning the applications in progress. It should be noted that such provisions may impose more restrictive rules relative to the general regime.

On the other hand, the fulfilment or non-compliance of the results of a certain operation will be considered as a weighting factor in the selection procedure of subsequent applications.

It is an eligibility criterion for support from the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) granted under the Portugal 2030 framework that beneficiaries have their tax and social security situation regularised with the tax administration and social security.

Thus, as long as the respective public service competent certifies that the taxpayer in question has their situation regularised, as happens in cases where the agreed performance plan is punctually fulfilled, such declaration shall be considered sufficient for the purposes provided for in said legal norm.

Beneficiaries must authorise the Management Authority or entity delegated for management purposes to consult their tax and social security situation on the AT and SS websites, respectively, or, alternatively, to attach, at the time of the application, a statement issued by the competent entities attesting to the regularity of their contribution situation.

Beneficiaries must also authorise the Agency for Development and Cohesion, IP, as a payment authority for Cohesion Funds, to consult their respective tax and social security situations online.

The identification numbers for this purpose are, respectively:

VAT 510928374

NIPS 25109283748

The Funds Counter is a platform that will continue the functionalities of the 2020 Counter, such as Beneficiary Data, Information on Competition Notices, Application Process and Bank Account of the projects, evolving towards new and very concrete needs and targets:

I. Parametrizations necessary to accommodate and respond to the operational structure of PT2030;

ii. the publication of the first 2030 Competition Notices by the end of the year;

iii. the submission and monitoring of 2030 applications;

iv. the centralized view of the Entities, irrespective of the programming period in which they manage their projects;

v. the urgency in integrating the Development Counter for new Simplex measures with an impact on the Funds and PRR ecosystem;

vi. the realization of the integration and centralized management of documents, messages and notifications.

Registration on the Funds Counter is intended for individuals or collective entities that wish to apply for support. For individuals, the registration must be made by themselves. For collective entities, the registration must be made by a legally authorized representative or a person with delegated competences for that purpose.

Applications must be submitted by the entities that wish to apply for financing for their projects. There is a functionality available that allows the beneficiary entities to indicate their users who can access their records.

When an employer, or other operator, hire a training entity to meet their training needs, it is understood that they are the first beneficiaries of the support from the European Social Fund (ESF), being up to them to submit their respective application.

You can register on the Funds Counter with the Digital Mobile Key, Citizen Card or with the Finance Portal data (Access.gov.pt), being mandatory to have a Portuguese NIF or NIPC.

The Authentication Through the Funds Counter is also available, but only for collective entities that are not registered in IRN - Institute of Registries and Notaries or that have been constituted for less than 15 working days and also for individual persons who do not have access data to the Finance Portal or form to authenticate themselves with the Digital Mobile Key or Citizen's Card.

The Mobile Digital Key (CMD) is a means of authentication and digital signature certified by the Portuguese State. It allows the user to access various public or private portals and sign digital documents, with a single login.

The Mobile Digital Key associates a mobile number with the civil identification number for a Portuguese citizen, and the passport number or residence card for a foreign citizen.

Learn more about the Mobile Digital Key here

The digital features of the Citizen Card allow you to authenticate, make services over the internet or sign digital documents.

To access these features and register at the Citizen's Counter with the Citizen Card, you need a smartcard reader and the PIN codes that appear in the letter that was issued to you when you requested or renewed your Citizen Card.

Learn more about the Citizen Card here.

Legal entities not registered in the IRN-Institute of Registries and Notary or created less than 15 working days ago and individual persons who do not have access data to the Finance Portal, nor can authenticate with the Mobile Digital Key or with the Citizen Card can register at the Counter through the option "Authentication through the Counter of Funds".

This form of registration is not recommended since it does not allow authentication that grants access to information provided by interoperability with other public administration services.

In this way, registration will be done in a declarative way, the filling in of the application for support can be started, but its submission is inhibited.

Therefore, if you do not have a way to authenticate with the citizen card, it is recommended that you request access credentials to the Portal das Finanças or activate your Mobile Digital Key, since later you will need to authenticate your data.

A “super user” is a type of profile, of an individual user who has permission to access all the features of the reserved area of the Counter of Funds of the applying or beneficiary entity of support to which it is associated.

For applying or beneficiary entities of support (legal entities) it is mandatory to have an associated user (individual person) with this profile because the submission of information (application, change request, payment / refund request, signature of acceptance term) is only possible from the user who has this profile.

Although at the time of submission, the NIF and fiscal password of the applying or beneficiary entity of support is requested, using the authentication system of the Tax Authority.

No. If you have a NIF as an individual, you do not need an associated user with the "super user" profile.

In the Counter of Funds, there are the following user profiles:

- beneficiary: (beneficiary or applying entity) All privileges

- super user: (individual person, responsible of the entity or with delegated powers to, among others, submit applications, change requests, payment / reimbursement) All privileges

- Internal technician: (Internal employees) Access to features and permissions for registration

- External technician: (Consultant, ROC or CC) Permissions to features and permissions for registration

- Consultation: Has only consultation / reading permissions

No. You must invite the user through the Administration menu - Users: + Invite User Button.

Fill in the NIF and the user's email and through the + Associate Profile button, choose the desired profile, in this case, super user.

Finally, send the invitation through the Send Invitation button.

An email will be sent to the user with a link, which must be followed to accept the invitation within 24 hours. After this period, the link will be no longer valid.

You can recover your password through the RECOVER PASSWORD feature on the Counter access page.

You must indicate the user (NIF or NIPC), the registration email (indicated when registered) and the characters of the image presented to you.

Finally, clicking on the Recover button, you can define a new password.

You can also access the Counter through the Mobile Digital Key or Citizen Card without the need to resort to the previously defined password. This way you can also change the email associated with your registration, provided that the new email you want is not in use.

You can change the password and the mail associated with your registration, you must log in to the Counter and access the User Settings (menu located in the top right corner - three dots).

In the Characterization tab you can change the email, through the Edit button next to the respective field.

In the Change Password tab, you can change the password. You must have knowledge of the previous password.

You can make a request through the Call of Funds, which is available to answer all your questions about the use of the Counter, as well as topics related to Portugal 2020, Portugal 2030 and PRR.

If you cannot log in to the Counter, you can click on the Linha dos Fundos logo at the bottom of the Counter access page.

If you are logged into the Counter, you can access it by clicking on the Call of Funds logo on the home page (Dashboard)

You will have access to a page that aggregates all the channels that the Call of Funds provides to answer your questions and, whenever necessary, will forward it to specialists in the business areas of the D&C, Management Authorities and Intermediate Bodies, in a commitment to effective response and resolution.

The programming of Portugal 2030 is organized around five strategic objectives (OP) and one specific objective of the European Union.

Portugal smarter

Investing in research and innovation, digitalization (including digital connectivity), competitiveness and internationalization of companies, skills for intelligent specialization, industrial transition and entrepreneurship.

Portugal more connected

With strategic transport networks, based on a strong focus on rail, promoting the mobility of people and goods, as well as the qualification of territories, guaranteeing their attractiveness, competitiveness and insertion in national and international markets.

Portugal closer to citizens

Supporting local development strategies, promoting social and territorial cohesion, and supporting sustainable urban development, based on the concept of interconnection of networks, focused on people's needs.

Portugal greener

Orientated to the green transition, accompanying the climate emergence and incorporating the goals of decarbonization, energy efficiency and reinforcement of renewable energies, and supporting innovation, circular economy and sustainable mobility.

Portugal more social

Supporting the improvement of population qualifications, equality of access to health care, promoting quality employment, social inclusion, following the priorities set out in the European Pillar of Social Rights.

Portugal more just transition

To ensure that the transition to a sustainable and carbon-neutral economy takes place in a fair manner.

Programmes of Portugal 2030

Portugal 2030 is carried out through 12 programmes, which allocate funds by activity areas (thematic programmes) and by regions (regional programmes).

Thematic programmes

People 2030

Dedicated to demography, qualifications and inclusion, this programme has an allocation of around 5.7 billion euros funded by the ESI Fund+ and is aimed at the least developed regions of the continent, although some of its measures may cover the Lisbon and Algarve Regions.

It has interventions in the fields of active employment policies, vocational and higher education, combating material deprivation, social inclusion and equal opportunities, with interventions that together also contribute to facing the demographic challenge, almost completely fulfilling the +Social Portugal goal.

Consult the full version of the program.

Sustainable 2030

Dedicated to Climate Action and Sustainability, this programme has a total of 3.1 billion euros funded by the Cohesion Fund and is of national scope in order to address the challenges arising from sustainability and climate transition, with a special focus on decarbonization of the various sectors of the economy, constituting a strong contribution to the national objective of achieving carbon neutrality in 2050.

Interventions focus on energy transition (especially through decarbonization) and actions that promote the sustainability of resources and urban mobility, which contribute to the + Green Portugal objective, as well as investments in the field of transport, namely rail and maritime-port, within the scope of the +Connected Portugal objective.

Consult the full version of the program.

COMPETE 2030

Dedicated to Innovation and Digital Transition, this programme has a total of 3.9 billion euros funded by the ESF and ESI Fund+, this programme is aimed at the least developed regions of the continent and Autonomous Regions to support innovation and competitiveness, energy transition and skills for competitiveness.

Thus, it includes, within the scope of the +Competitive Portugal objective, interventions in digitization, research and innovation, as well as in the growth and competitiveness of SMEs. Within the scope of the Portugal + Green objective, it will support companies in projects of decarbonisation and support for the production of renewable energies, and in the +Social Portugal objective it will support the adaptation of workers and companies to change.

Consult the full version of the programme.

SEA 2030

This programme has a total of 393 million euros funded by the FEAMPA for the whole national territory, with the aim of supporting sustainable fisheries investments, energy efficiency and decarbonization, biodiversity, promotion of fisheries products and local development, contributing especially to the +Green Portugal objective and, to a lesser extent, to the +Close Portugal objective.

Consult the full version of the programme.

Regional programmes

North 2030

This programme has a total of 3.4 million euros funded by the ERDF and ESI Fund+. It is especially focused on territorial policies, which are reinforced by the decentralisation process under way in the continent and contributes to the generality of the strategic objectives, in particular to the +Near Portugal, +Green Portugal and Portugal +Competitive objectives.

It includes an allocation of 60 million euros intended to mitigate the socioeconomic impacts of the transition to carbon neutrality resulting from the closure of the Matosinhos refinery.

Consult the full version of the programme.

Lisbon 2030

This programme has a total of 381 million euros funded by the ERDF and ESIF. It is especially focused on territorial policies, which are reinforced by the decentralisation process under way in the continent and contributes to the generality of the strategic objectives, in particular to the Portugal + Near, Portugal + Green and Portugal + Competitive objectives.

Consult the full version of the programme.

Algarve 2030

This programme has a total of 780 million euros funded by the ERDF and ESIF. It is especially focused on territorial policies, which are reinforced by the decentralisation process under way in the continent and contributes to the generality of the strategic objectives, in particular to the +Close Portugal, +Green Portugal and +Competitive Portugal objectives.

Consult the full version of the programme.

Madeira 2030

This programme has a total of 760 million euros funded by the ERDF and ESIF. It is especially focused on territorial policies, which are reinforced by the decentralisation process under way in the continent and contributes to the generality of the Strategic Objectives, in particular to the +Near Portugal, +Green Portugal and +Competitive Portugal objectives.

Consult the full version of the programme.

Centre 2030

This programme has a total of 2.2 billion euros funded by the ERDF and ESIF. It is especially focused on territorial policies, which are reinforced by the decentralisation process under way in the continent and contributes to the generality of the strategic objectives, in particular to the Portugal + Near, Portugal + Green and Portugal + Competitive objectives.

It includes an allocation of 65 million euros intended to mitigate the socioeconomic impacts of the transition to carbon neutrality resulting from the closure of the Pego refinery.

Consult the full version of the programme.

Alentejo 2030

This programme has a total of around 1.1 billion euros funded by the ERDF and ESIF. It is especially focused on territorial policies, which are reinforced by the decentralisation process under way in the continent and contributes to the generality of the strategic objectives, in particular to the Portugal + Near, Portugal + Green and +Competitive Portugal objectives.

It includes an allocation of 99 million euros intended to mitigate the socioeconomic impacts of the transition to carbon neutrality resulting from the closure of the Sines refinery.

Consult the full version of the programme.

Azores 2030

This program has a total of approximately 1.1 billion euros funded by the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF). It is especially focused on territorial policies, which are reinforced by the ongoing decentralization process on the continent and contributes to the generality of the strategic objectives, in particular to the objectives Portugal + Proximo, Portugal + Green and Portugal + Competitive.

Consult full version of the program.

Technical Assistance Program

Technical Assistance 2030

The Technical Assistance Program, with an allocation of 168 million euros, is funded by the ESIF and is of national scope to support the implementation of actions by the entities involved in the coordination and management of the funds, including the monitoring, evaluation, communication, information systems and control dimensions, as well as the implementation of the road map for the capacity building of the European funds ecosystem.

Consult full version of the program.

European Territorial Cooperation

European Territorial Cooperation

Under the objective of European Territorial Cooperation, Portugal participates in a set of Operational Programs, which are in the process of programming and negotiation, in partnership with the other relevant Member States, in the cross-border, transnational and overseas regions aspects, and with the other Member States and the European Commission, in the interregional aspect.

Consult full version of the programs.