Finance reform must not weaken expenditure oversight to protect democracies

The President of the Court of Auditors (Tribunal de Contas) warned that public finance reforms should not reduce external oversight, specifically criticizing a government proposal currently in parliament that would exempt contracts of up to 10 million euros from the court's prior approval (visto prévio). She argued that in a volatile global environment, rigorous external monitoring remains essential to ensure the responsible use of public funds.