Troia, Portugal, Sept. 22, 2026 (Lusa) - The Portuguese Chief of Naval Staff believes there was a lack of «thoughtfulness and common sense» in the criticism levelled at the deal to purchase three frigates from Italy, which undermined the country's «negotiating position».
«I would have liked to have seen more thoughtfulness and common sense, and for many of the people who spoke on this matter – experts and pseudo-experts alike – to have done their research before speaking,» said Admiral Jorge Nobre de Sousa in an interview with the Lusa news agency at the Navy's Operational Experimentation Centre in Tróia.
At issue is the acquisition of three new-generation frigates from the Italian firm Fincantieri, under the European loans provided by the Security Action for Europe Facility (SAFE), which will be the subject of a parliamentary hearing with the defence minister, Nuno Melo, this afternoon.
With a total value of €5.8 billion, SAFE is one of the country's largest investments in defence, with a large portion of this investment – €3.9 billion – earmarked for the FREMM EVO frigates. This summer, the deal sparked controversy, with parties such as Chega and the PS accusing the government of a lack of transparency.
Admiral Nobre de Sousa declined to comment on «the political arena», but considered that «it would be very interesting if everyone discussing this matter would, at the very least, do a little research», calling for greater «intellectual honesty».
He pointed out that the SAFE instrument was approved in May by the European Union – where Portugal «has national representatives» – and that member states «would have to declare their intention to join the mechanism by July».
The «complexity of such a process», he emphasised, «would be greatly hampered if we had to constantly go through consultations and validation procedures».
The admiral noted that the EU is often criticised for «complicating matters and failing to act», but in this case, it has established a less time-consuming procurement process and «if anyone is to be questioned about the rules, it is the EU».
He also recalled that in February he was summoned to the parliamentary Defence Committee for a closed-door hearing to brief MPs on SAFE.
Whilst considering it positive that the issue is being debated publicly, the admiral noted that some comments «have, in some way, undermined the Portuguese State's negotiating position».
«I was unaware that there were so many frigate experts in this country, as I have seen recently. (…) It is not simply because they have the title ‘expert' printed at the bottom or in a newspaper headline that they are experts, nor is it because they are wearing a tie with nautical motifs that they suddenly become experts,» he criticised.
He emphasised that, in addition to European oversight, two committees had also been set up in Portugal to monitor and supervise SAFE: «Everything suggests that this process is unique in terms of its control mechanisms.» Furthermore, he noted that an agreement is in place between the Portuguese and Italian governments, and the procurements will be carried out by an international organisation, OCCAR, which specialises in managing complex defence equipment and armaments programmes.
«In other words, some of the potential risks inherent in these procurement processes – such as direct links to companies, which we know do occur – are mitigated to some extent, because we are carrying out the procurements through an agency,» he explained.
Regarding reports that Portugal will pay around 25% more for the three new frigates compared with the cost borne by the Italian Navy, the admiral said that the process is still ongoing and that «in due course» he will have the opportunity to demonstrate that the figure «is in line with market prices», pointing to cost increases also due to greater demand for this type of equipment in the current international context.
ARL/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
