Lisbon, July 20, 2026 (Lusa) - Lusa's Workers' Committee (CT) on Monday once again called on the government to review the agency's statutes, following the European Commission's report on the rule of law, which criticised the new governance model.
In a statement, the CT argued that the European Commission's reference «should be a source of embarrassment to the government and set alarm bells ringing», noting that the government had downplayed the statutes issue by claiming they were outdated.
«The issue of the statutes is not outdated, contrary to what Minister António Leitão Amaro's office suggests, as it seeks to hastily sweep the matter ‘under the carpet' and avoid further international embarrassment,» the statement read.
According to the workers, Brussels noted in the report published on Friday that «the Lusa news agency is now wholly owned by the state and its capital has been increased, although the revision of its statutes is being criticised».
The European Commission also noted that Lusa staff, the Journalists' Union and other stakeholders had expressed concerns regarding the impact of the revision of the articles of association on the agency's editorial independence.
The report also cites the Media Pluralism Monitor (MPM), a European index assessing press freedom, according to which Lusa's new articles of association may «pose a risk to editorial autonomy», and considers close monitoring of the agency's governance model to be necessary, given its role as a public service provider.
The CT also highlighted that the recommendations in the MPM's report on Portugal state that «Lusa's governance requires rigorous monitoring», pointing out that the transition to a wholly state-owned company «lacked a strategic direction centred on public service» and that the new articles of association «risk compromising editorial autonomy».
The workers argue that these conclusions align with the warnings they have been issuing regarding the revision of the articles of association and believe that the government must not ignore the European recommendations.
In the statement, the Workers' Committee called on the government and the parties involved in the legislative process to find a solution that safeguards Lusa's editorial independence, arguing that a revision of the articles of association «should not be seen as a defeat, but rather as a demonstration of respect for the guarantees that Portugal remains a state that is accountable to journalism and the public news service».
Following the publication of the report, the Workers' Commission also stated that it had sent formal requests for clarification to the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs and to Lusa's Board of Directors.
Contacted on Friday by Lusa following the publication of the annual report on the rule of law, an official source from the office of the relevant minister, António Leitão Amaro, stated: «We confirm that the Report on the Rule of Law notes that it has received reports criticising Lusa's Articles of Association».
However, «the same report finds no basis for these criticisms, nor does it make any recommendation for their amendment, contrary to what the Journalists' Union requested of the European Commission», added the same source.
«On the contrary, the report points out that Lusa's current Articles of Association represent an improvement on the previous ones, reinforcing the limitation on the government's power to intervene in the agency,» emphasised the same source.
Therefore, «we believe that this report dismisses as outdated and unfounded the alleged non-compliance of Lusa's Articles of Association with European law, in particular with the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA)», concluded the same source. In English, the regulation is known as the European Media Freedom Act or EMFA.
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