Portugal's New Education and Cybersecurity Reforms: What You Need to Know

Focus on Education: New Regulations Approved

The recent meeting of the Council of Ministers has led to significant changes in the educational landscape of Portugal. New restrictions on hiring faculty and researchers aim to combat endogamy in academic institutions, although they are not as limiting as initially proposed.

Minister of Education, Science and Innovation, Fernando Alexandre, explained that institutions with an endogamy index exceeding 50% will not be able to hire their own PhD graduates for three years unless they obtained their undergraduate or master's degrees from a different institution. Current PhD students can rest assured that these rules will only affect future students.

The new Legal Regime for Higher Education Institutions (RJIES) also aims to enhance institutional autonomy while ensuring stability and predictability. This updated regime maintains the binary model of higher education, allowing polytechnic institutes to evolve into universities, thereby increasing competition and innovation within the system.

Key Changes in the New Regime:

• Direct Elections for university rectors and polytechnic presidents will now include former students and be open to the community.
• Possibility of Mergers between universities and polytechnics, as well as the integration of private institutions into public ones.
• End of Monopolies by the Agency for Evaluation and Accreditation of Higher Education (A3ES), with new processes open to national accreditation agencies from EU member states.

Cybersecurity Enhancements

In addition to educational reforms, the Council of Ministers approved a new cybersecurity law aimed at strengthening the robustness of digital systems and public sector defenses in Portugal. Minister António Leitão Amaro described it as a "deep reform" to enhance security measures across the board, while also reducing bureaucratic costs for businesses and citizens.

Key Highlights of the Cybersecurity Law:

• Increased Security for public and private sectors, expanding obligations to protect digital activities.
• Development of Strategic Documents to ensure effective implementation of cybersecurity measures.

Additional Approvals

• Transport: Approval of new funding for 22 new metro trains in Porto.
• Agriculture: Classification of the Alqueva Hydro-Agricultural Project as a national interest project.
• Culture: Expansion of the national monument designation for the Battle of Montes Claros site.
• Local Governance: Removal of the requirement for simple execution operations in seven municipalities regarding unregistered properties.