Livre, PCP, and Bloc force parliamentary debate on new INEM law following President's promulgation
Three Portuguese left-wing parties are triggering a parliamentary review of the newly enacted organic law for the National Institute of Medical Emergency, citing lack of transparency and worker involvement.
On 8 July 2026, the Livre party announced it had gathered the required ten signatures, together with the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) and the Left Bloc (BE), to request a parliamentary appreciation of the government's decree-law approving a new organic statute for the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM). The decree had been approved by the Council of Ministers on 7 May and promulgated by President António José Seguro the day before the announcement.
Origins of the dispute
Livre took the initiative, arguing that a restructuring of this scale cannot be conducted without transparency, outside the Assembly of the Republic, and without the participation of INEM workers.
The party added that more than a year after the 'refoundation' was announced, no concrete details have emerged beyond general intentions, while proposals for dismantling the institute circulate publicly.A reform of this magnitude, which changes INEM's legal status and transfers competencies to Local Health Units, cannot be decided with such a lack of transparency, outside the Assembly of the Republic and without any participation of INEM workers, who have denounced this so-called 'refoundation'.
The parliamentary mechanism
The parliamentary appreciation procedure requires only ten deputies, exactly the combined number held by Livre, PCP, and BE. If the formal request is submitted, it could lead to the law's annulment or amendment. For now, the three parties have not defined the precise objective of the review, choosing to await the decree's publication in the official journal Diário da República before moving forward.
What the new law changes
Under the new legal framework, INEM becomes a Public Institute of Special Regime. According to Health Minister Ana Paula Martins, who spoke after the government's 7 May approval, the change grants the institute
The statute also removes the requirement for the chairman of the board to be a physician, as the body will now include a clinical director and a nursing director.greater flexibility, higher remuneration and a different clinical governance model.
Presidential promulgation and timing
President Seguro promulgated the decree on 7 July, which does not prevent the Assembly from seeking further clarifications, according to Livre deputy Paulo Muacho. The formal request will only be filed after publication in the official journal, meaning the debate is expected only after the parliamentary summer recess, at the start of the next legislative session.
- Government approves decree-law in Council of Ministers.
- President Seguro promulgates the new law.
- Livre, PCP, and BE announce joint request for parliamentary review.
- Official publication triggers the formal submission of the review request.
- Expected plenary debate in the Assembly of the Republic.
