On 07.11.2023, the AdC issued an opinion in response to a request from the Secretary General of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers (SGPCM), in the context of a request for public utility status, made in 2021, by the National Federation for Conflict Mediation (FNMC).
The AdC considered that it could not rule out the fulfilment of the requirement of Article 2(1)(c) of Decree-Law 460/77, which states that the FNMC must not "carry out, as a principal activity, economic activities in competition with other entities that cannot benefit from public utility status". The AdC further considered that, even if the FNMC were to develop, on a secondary basis, economic activity(ies) in competition with other companies, after obtaining public utility status, Article 12(2)(a) and (b) of Decree-Law 460/77 lays down rules that contribute to ensure fiscal competitive neutrality.
On 28.02.2024, Order No. 2188/2024 was published, granting the FNMC public utility status for 10 years.