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Establishes The Legal Regime Of The Metropolitan Areas Of Lisbon And Porto

Original Language Title: Estabelece o regime jurídico das áreas metropolitanas de Lisboa e do Porto

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PROPOSED LAW NO. 183 /X

Exhibition of Motives

In the last 50 years the space of the European Union has undergone major transformations

that globalization is accelerating with considerable consequences for the centres of

European gravity that are the metropolitan areas. These benefit, as it is

unanimously assumed, from a privileged situation to respond to the challenges and

take advantage of the best form the opportunities arising from these modifications.

However, the weak points with respect to the balanced development of the areas

metropolitans are still residing in their lack of identity and in the absence of a

governance proper. All over Europe are several the models adopted, not all

with equal degree of success. This is therefore a debate that takes a little bit for the whole

Europe, but where it is recognized that the knowledge economy and the networked society

make metropolitan areas more attractive to people and activities

economic, as they are many of the challenges facing metropolitan areas.

Thus, consolidating and projecting the large metropolitan centralities of Lisbon and the

Porto has to be a national weirdship. It matters as it reaffirm the decisive role and

complementary to the metropolitan areas of Lisbon and Porto in the territorial organization and

in the international projection of Portugal.

The strong relative position of these metropolitan areas, awound in population terms, is

even more notorious when considering indicators of their economic importance,

institutional and cultural.

Finally, these two major urban concentrations exert powerful effects of

polarization and diffusion on the remaining spaces, in more intense way in the interior

of the respective metropolitan arches but propagating to the whole territory of the

continent. Population growth, transformations of its productive base and the

emergence of new social problems pose a challenge for those responsible

autarchs covered by the territory of these two metropolitan areas, requiring the

adoption of new forms of response based on the principle of cooperation

intercity.

The awareness of this situation led to the institutionalization of the Metropolitan Areas of

Lisbon and Porto, in 1991, as the two "spaces" suitable for the search for solutions

of metropolitan scope for many of the structural problems affecting the whole

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of the municipalities that integrate them, solutions these designed in the framework of a strategy

specific development of territorial development.

The Law No. 44/91 of August 2, which initially created the Metropolitan Areas of

Lisbon and the Port, it had in view, inter alia, to guarantee through these entities, the

articulation of investments and services of supramunicipal scope.

In 2003, a distinct model was approved, which it pointed out since soon to the

possibility of there are metropolitan areas of two types, the large areas

metropolitans and urban communities, and they respectively owe the first

integrate at least nine contiguous municipalities and 350000 inhabitants and the second ones

at least three contigued municipalities and 150000 inhabitants, withdrawing coherence to the

concept of metropolitan areas, without any advantage to the promotion of the

municipal associativism in other regions of the country.

In fact, these entities do not guarantee the necessary rationality and territorial scale,

they lack a standardised framework of transfer of competences and resources.

In these terms, and as a result of the Programme of the XVII Constitutional Government, it imposes itself

in this legislature to legislatively intervene in such a way as to correct the many shortcomings and

dysfunctions detected in the model of metropolitan areas and communities

intermunicipal.

Thus, the present proposed law, creates a specific institutional framework for the areas

metropolitans of Lisbon and Porto, so as to create effective authority on the scale

metropolitan, endowed with the powers, resources and legitimacy required to

tackle the complex problems and challenges that in those areas pose.

The present proposed law differentiates the association of municipalities from the only two areas

metropolitan existing in Portugal of the remaining associations of municipalities in the

competences and in the model of institutional governance that strengthens its legitimacy

democratic, creating metropolitan areas in accordance with the boundaries of NUTS III that

integrate them.

Metropolitan areas go on to play a role of a higher scale to the

level of planning and management of the economic, social development strategy and

environmental of its territory and will have conditions to coordinate the actuations between the

municipalities, between municipalities and the services of the central administration. In addition, the

present proposal provides that the actuations of the metropolitan level public entities will

go on to be planned by the metropolitan areas.

The Decree-Law No. 312/07 of September 17 set out the governance model of the

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National Strategic Reference Framework (QREN) and the respective programmes

operational, and it is up to the present law proposal to value the skills of the areas

metropolitans in the strategic advisory bodies of the operational programmes

regional, as well as in forecasting decentralized execution or in the contractualization of

partnerships for the management of parcels of regional operational programmes.

The metropolitan areas will be considered as Government partners in respect of

decentralization of skills and participation in the management of the QREN, in addition to being

expected to strengthen the role of metropolitan areas in the respective authorities

metropolitan transport in a future legislative amendment and in the management of networks of

metropolitan equipment.

At the level of the model of governance of metropolitan areas, of this proposed law

results in the strengthening of the democratic legitimacy of the organs of the metropolitan area and the

accountability of the executive body in the face of deliberative and representative bodies

of the municipalities.

The requirement of rigour and discipline in the management of financial resources is transposed from the

matrix established in the Local Finance Act, passed by Law No. 2/2007, of 15 of

January.

It was heard from the National Association of Portuguese Municipalities.

Thus:

Under the terms of the paragraph d) of Article 197 (1) of the Constitution, the Government presents to the

Assembly of the Republic the following proposal for a law:

CHAPTER I

General provisions

Article 1.

Subject

This Law establishes the legal regime of the metropolitan areas of Lisbon and Porto.

Article 2.

Nature and scope

1-The metropolitan areas of Lisbon and Porto are legal persons of law

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public and constitute a specific form of association of the municipalities covered

by the territorial units defined on the basis of NUTS III of Greater Lisbon and the

Peninsula of Setúbal, and of the Great Port and of Entrei-Douro and Vouga,

respectively.

2-The municipalities of the metropolitan areas of Lisbon and Porto can integrate

associations of municipalities of specific purposes, under the legal regime of the

municipal associativism.

3-For the purposes of applying this Act, the integral municipalities of the areas

metropolitans are listed in annex, which is an integral part of this Law.

Article 3.

Tutela

The metropolitan areas of Lisbon and Porto are subject to the legal regime of the tutelage

administrative.

CHAPTER II

Attributions, organs and competences

Article 4.

Attributions

1-The metropolitan areas of Lisbon and Porto are aimed at the pursuit of the

following public purposes:

a) Participate in the drafting of public investment plans and programmes

with incidence in the metropolitan area;

b) To promote the planning and management of the development strategy

economic, social and environmental of the territory covered;

c) Articulating municipal investments of metropolitan character;

d) Participate in the management of regional development support programs,

specifically within the framework of the National Strategic Reference Framework

(QREN);

e) Participate, in the terms of the law, in the definition of service networks and equipment

of metropolitan scope;

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f) Participate in public entities of metropolitan scope, specifically in the

field of transport, water, energy and treatment of solid waste;

g) To plan the performance of public entities of metropolitan character.

2-It is also up to the metropolitan areas of Lisbon and Porto to ensure the

articulation of the actuations between the municipalities and the services of the central administration,

in the following areas:

a) Public supply networks, basic sanitation infrastructure,

treatment of wastewater and urban waste;

b) Network of health equipment;

c) Educational and vocational training network;

d) Spatial planning, conservation of nature and natural resources;

e) Safety and civil protection;

f) Mobility and transport;

g) Networks of public equipment;

h) Promotion of economic and social development;

i) Network of cultural, sporting and leisure equipment.

3-It is still up to the metropolitan areas of Lisbon and Porto to exercise assignments

transferred by the central administration and the joint exercise of the skills

delegated by the municipalities that integrate them.

4-It is also up to the metropolitan areas of Lisbon and the Port to designate the

municipal representatives in public entities or business entities always

that have metropolitan nature.

Article 5.

Organs

1-The metropolitan areas of Lisbon and Porto consist of the following

organs:

a) The metropolitan assembly;

b) The metropolitan junta.

2-Joint of the organs referred to in the preceding paragraph works an executive board

metropolitan.

3-It may still work with the metropolitan junta, an advisory body, integrated

by representatives of regional public services and economic interests,

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social and cultural of your area of intervention.

Article 6.

Duration of the mandates

1-The mandate of the members of the metropolitan assemblies and the joints

metropolitans coincide with those legally fixed to the organs

of local authorities.

2-A loss, cessation, resignation or suspension of tenure in the municipal body

determines the same effect on the mandate held in the organs of the metropolitan area.

3-The holders of the organs exercise their respective mandates during the period to which

refers to paragraph 1 and remain in functions until they are legally replaced.

Article 7.

Health

The operation of the metropolitan areas of Lisbon and Porto regulates, in all the

which is not provided for in this Act, by the regime applicable to municipal bodies.

Article 8.

Deliberations

The deliberations of the organs of the metropolitan areas of Lisbon and the Port link the

municipalities that integrate them, not lacking ratification of the respective bodies since

that the competence for this is statuary or legally foreseen.

Section I

Metropolitan assembly

Article 9.

Nature, constitution and operation

1-A The metropolitan assembly is the deliberative organ of the metropolitan area.

2-A The metropolitan assembly consists of 55 members elected by the assemblies

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municipal, from among its members, that integrate the metropolitan area.

3-A The election is made by the electoral college constituted by the ensemble of the members of the

municipal assemblies, elected directly, by the submission of lists that

cannot have a number of candidates superior to that of the mandates to be filled.

4-A voting processes in the scope of each municipal assembly and, made the sum of the

votes obtained by each list, the mandates are assigned under the system of

proportional representation and the method of the highest average of Hondt .

5-A voting and scrutiny referred to in the preceding paragraphs are carried out

simultaneously in the integral municipal assemblies of the respective area

metropolitan.

6-When any of the members cease to be part of the metropolitan assembly or

ask for the suspension of its mandate, is replaced in the terms provided for by the

filling vacancies in the municipal assemblies.

7-The presidents of the metropolitan junta and the metropolitan executive board

participate in the sessions of the metropolitan assembly, and may intervene in the debates

without right to vote.

8-A The metropolitan assembly meets ordinarily twice a year and

extraordinarily whenever convened under the terms of the statute of the area

metropolitan.

Article 10.

Table

1-The proceedings of the metropolitan assembly are directed by a table, constituted

by the president, by a vice president and a secretary, to be elected by secret ballot of

among its members.

2-As long as the metropolitan assembly table is not elected, the same is directed

by the oldest elected.

Article 11.

Competencies

It competes with the metropolitan assembly:

a) Electing the table of the metropolitan assembly;

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b) Approve the political and strategic lines of the metropolitan area proposed by the

metropolitan joint;

c) Approve the statutes, the action plan of the metropolitan area and the proposal of

budget and its revisions, as well as appreciate the inventory of all the

assets, rights and heritage obligations and their assessment and, still,

appreciate and vote on the accountability documents;

d) Follow up and scrutinise the activity of the metropolitan junta and the committee

metropolitan executive, and must be appreciated, at each ordinary meeting,

a written information about the activity of the metropolitan area, as well as the

your financial situation;

e) Approve the conclusion of protocols relating to transfers of assignments or

competencies;

f) Authorize the metropolitan area to associate with other public entities,

private or in the social sector, to create or participate in other legal persons, and

to constitute metropolitan companies;

g) Ratify the composition of the metropolitan executive board, under proposal of the

metropolitan joint, by an absolute majority of the members in actuality of

functions;

h) Deliberate by an absolute majority of the members in effectivity of functions, on

the resignation of the metropolitan executive board or the replacement of its

members, on a proposal from the metropolitan junta;

i) Set, on a proposal from the metropolitan junta, the remuneration of the members of the

metropolitan executive committee;

j) Approve your regiment, as well as the regulations of organization and

functioning;

l) Approve, on the proposal of the metropolitan junta, the regulations effectively

external;

m) Deliberating, on a proposal from the metropolitan junta, on the form of imputation

to the integral municipalities of the metropolitan area of expenditure with personnel and

of the burden on indebtedness;

n) Approve the collection of municipal taxes by the metropolitan area, nos

terms of Article 13 (2) of the Law No 2/2007 of January 15;

o) Approve or authorize the hiring of loans, under the law;

p) Designate the official reviewer of accounts or the society of auditors, nos

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terms of Article 48 (2) of the Law No 2/2007 of January 15;

q) Follow up on the activity of the metropolitan area and the respective results in the

companies, cooperatives, foundations or other entities in which the area

metropolitan hold some participation;

r) Authorize the metropolitan area, under proposal of the metropolitan junta, the

associate with other public, private or social sector entities and

co-operative, to create or participate in other legal persons and to constitute

metropolitan companies;

s) Exercising the remaining powers conferred upon it by law, by the statutes,

by the regiment or the metropolitan assembly.

Article 12.

President of the metropolitan assembly

It is incumbent on the president of the metropolitan assembly

a) Convene the ordinary and extraordinary meetings;

b) Drive the proceedings of the metropolitan assembly;

c) Exercising the remaining powers conferred upon it by law, by the statutes,

by the regiment or the assembly.

Section II

Metropolitan junta

Article 13.

Nature and constitution

1-A The metropolitan joint is the representative body of the municipal chambers of the area

metropolitan.

2-A The metropolitan joint consists of the chairpersons of the municipal chambers of

each of the integral municipalities, which elect, from among themselves, a president and two

vice-presidents.

Article 14.

Competencies

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1-Compete to the metropolitan joint:

a) Electing the president and vice-president;

b) Establish the political and strategic option lines of the metropolitan area a

be subjected to the approval of the metropolitan assembly;

c) To propose to the Government the plans, projects and the investment programmes and

development of metropolitan scope;

d) To coordinate the performance of municipalities in the metropolitan area;

e) To propose ratification by the metropolitan assembly of the composition of the committee

metropolitan executive, as well as the replacement of its members;

f) Pronounce on the plans and programmes of the central administration with

incidence in the metropolitan area;

g) Elaborate and submit to the metropolitan assembly the action plan of the area

metropolitan, the budget proposal and the respective revisions;

h) Present to the metropolitan assembly the written information as to which

point ( d ) of paragraph 11.

i) Approve the planning instruments referred to in Article 17 (3) and

introduce them to the metropolitan assembly;

j) To propose to the metropolitan assembly the form of imputation to municipalities

associates of the expenses with personnel and the indebtedness charges;

l) Approve the proposals for loans referred to in point (s) d) of paragraph 2 of the

article 17 and subjecting them to the metropolitan assembly;

m) To propose to the metropolitan assembly the association with other public entities,

private or the social and cooperative sector, the creation or participation in other

legal persons and the constitution of metropolitan enterprises;

n) Designate the representatives of the metropolitan area in any entities or

bodies provided for in the law, specifically those provided for in the governance model

of the QREN, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the entities and

public enterprises of metropolitan scope;

o) Refer the accounts of the metropolitan area to the Court of Auditors, pursuant to the

law;

p) Submit the proposals and requests for authorisation in relation to hiring

loans to the metropolitan assembly;

q) Exercising the skills transferred by the central or delegated administration

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by the integral municipalities.

2-The metropolitan joint competes, in particular, the political representation of the area

metropolitan before the Government and the bodies and services of the administration

central, as well as before international entities.

3-The metropolitan junta competes still to propose to the metropolitan assembly the

regulations with external effectiveness of the metropolitan area and the regulations of

organization and operation of services.

4-A metropolitan junta may delegate its powers to the executive board

metropolitan.

Article 15.

President of the metropolitan junta

1-Compete to the president of the metropolitan junta:

a) Convene the ordinary and extraordinary meetings and direct the respective

work;

b) Carry out the deliberations of the metropolitan joint and coordinate the respective

activity;

c) Promoting the holding of meetings with the metropolitan executive committee

for monitoring of the permanent activity of the metropolitan area;

d) Political representation of the metropolitan junta.

2-The president of the metropolitan junta may delegate or underdelegate the exercise of its

skills in the vice president.

3-To the remaining members of the metropolitan junta compete to co-adjuve the president in the

his action, with the President designating the Vice-President, who replaces him in his

flawed and impediments.

4-The president of the metropolitan junta participates in the meetings of the assembly

metropolitan in its own right.

Section III

Metropolitan executive commission

Article 16.

Nature, constitution and operation

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1-A metropolitan executive committee is a permanent structure of the area

metropolitan responsible for the implementation of the deliberations of the assembly

metropolitan and the guiding lines defined by the metropolitan junta.

2-A The metropolitan executive committee is composed of three to five members

designated by the metropolitan junta, subject to ratification by the assembly

metropolitan, being one of them president and another vice president.

3-The President and the vice-chairman of the metropolitan executive committee exercise

functions on a full-time basis.

4-The vowels of the metropolitan executive board may exercise functions on time

whole or part-time, on a proposal from the metropolitan junta, approved by the

metropolitan assembly.

5-The exercise of duties in the metropolitan executive committee is incompatible with the

exercise of duties in executive bodies of the municipalities, sensing the

regimen of incompatibilities of local elected officials .

6-The members of the metropolitan assembly who are appointed to perform duties

in the metropolitan executive committee suspending the respective mandate.

7-The president of the metropolitan executive committee cannot have remuneration

superior to that of the president of municipality with more than 40 thousand voters.

8-The vice president and the vowels of the metropolitan executive commission can't have

remuneration of more than 80% of the remuneration awarded to the chairman of the committee

respective metropolitan executive.

Article 17.

Competencies

1-Compete to the metropolitan executive committee within the framework of the organization and

health:

a) Ensuring compliance with the deliberations of the metropolitan assembly and the

metropolitan joint;

b) Exercising the competences delegated by the metropolitan junta.

2-While technical support structure lies with the metropolitan executive committee

exercise the following competences:

a) Drive the technical and administrative support services of the metropolitan area;

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b) Carry out the budgets, as well as approve your changes.

c) Ensure municipal tax collection, after approval to which if

refers to point n) of Article 11;

d) Draw up the proposals and the application for authorisation in relation to the hiring of

loans and submit to the appreciation of the metropolitan junta.

3-Incumbent to the metropolitan executive committee, in the framework of planning and the

development, exercise the following competences:

a) Prepare the Metropolitan Area Action Plan, the budget proposal and

the respective revisions, to be submitted to the metropolitan junta;

b) Elaborate and monitor planning instruments, at the level of the environment, of the

regional development, civil and mobility protection and transport;

c) To draw up the intermunicipal planning plans of the respective territory;

d) To integrate the commissions of drafting, revision and amendment

of municipal directorates, plans or policy instruments

sector and special planning plans of the territory;

e) Participate in the management of regional development programmes and present

applications for funding, through programmes, projects and too much

initiatives;

f) Present programmes of administrative modernization;

g) To develop projects for training the human resources of municipalities;

h) Elaborate and approve the internal control standard, as well as the inventory of

all goods, rights and heritage obligations and their assessment and,

still, the accountability documents, to be submitted to the assessment and

voting of the metropolitan assembly.

4-Incumbent to the metropolitan executive committee, upon delegation of the junta

metropolitan, issue the opinions that are requested by the Government to the area

metropolitan with respect to instruments or investments, of the responsibility

of bodies of the central administration, with metropolitan impact.

Article 18.

Chairman of the metropolitan executive committee

1-Compete to the president of the metropolitan executive board:

a) Convene the ordinary and extraordinary meetings and direct the respective

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work;

b) Carry out the deliberations of the metropolitan executive committee and coordinate the

respective activity;

c) Authorize the realization of budgeted expenditure up to the limit stipulated by

law or by delegation of the metropolitan executive committee;

d) Authorize the payment of expenses incurred, pursuant to the law;

e) Sign up and target the correspondence of the board with destination to any

entities or public bodies;

f) Represent the metropolitan area in judgment and outside of it;

g) Exercising the remaining powers established by law or by delegation of the junta

metropolitan.

2-The chairman of the metropolitan executive board may delegate or subdelegate the

exercise of your competences in the remaining members.

3-To the remaining members of the metropolitan executive board compete to co-adjuve the

president in his action, with the president designating the vice president, that the

replaces in your lines and impediments.

Article 19.

Technical and administrative support services

Metropolitan areas can create technical and administrative support services,

vocationates to collect and systematize the information and to elaborate the studies

necessary for the preparation of decisions or deliberations, as well as to promote the respective

execution.

Article 20.

Personnel

1-The metropolitan areas dispose of their own personnel frame, approved by the

respective assemblies, on a proposal from the metropolitan executive committee.

2-The table referred to in the preceding paragraph is filled out of the instruments of

legally required general mobility, preferably from employees coming from

of the personnel tables of the member municipalities of the metropolitan area or of the

services of the direct or indirect administration of the State.

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3-The general mobility instruments envisaged for the employees of the

local administration are not subject to the legally anticipated duration limits.

4-Where the appeal to the mobility instruments provided for in paragraph 2 does not allow

the filling of the permanent needs of the services, the new admissions

shall become subject to the scheme of the individual contract of employment.

Article 21.

Charges with personnel

1-The expenses incurred with personnel in the metropolitan areas relies for effects

of the limit set out in the Act for the expenditure on staff of the framework of the municipalities

that integrate them.

2-For the purposes of the provisions of the preceding paragraph, it is incumbent upon the metropolitan assemblies

to deliberate on the form of imputation of expenditure to the associated municipalities, the

which lacks the approval of the municipal assemblies.

3-In the absence of deliberation referred to in the preceding paragraph, the expenditure on personnel

are imputed proportionally to the resident population in each of the municipalities

members.

CHAPTER III

Financial provisions

Article 22.

Plan of action and budget of the metropolitan area

1-The plan of action and the budget of the metropolitan area are prepared by the junta

metropolitan and submitted to the approval of the metropolitan assembly in the course of the

month of November.

2-The plan of activities and the budget are remitted by the metropolitan junta to the

municipal assemblies of the integral municipalities, to their knowledge, in the

deadline of one month after your approval.

Article 23.

Accounting regime

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The accounting of the metropolitan areas respects the one provided for in the Official Plan of

Accounting for Local Authorities (POCAL).

Article 24.

Surveillance and trial of accounts

1-The accounts of metropolitan areas are subject to appreciation and judgment by the

Court of Auditors, pursuant to the respective law of organization and process.

2-The accounts must be sent to the Court of Auditors, within the prescribed time

for local authorities, after the respective approval by the metropolitan junta,

regardless of the appreciation of the metropolitan assembly.

3-The accounts of metropolitan areas are still sent to the municipal assemblies

of the member municipalities, for knowledge, within one month after the

deliberation of your approval.

Article 25.

Heritage and finance

1-The metropolitan areas have heritage and own finances.

2-The heritage of metropolitan areas is made up of goods and rights for them

transferred or acquired to any title.

3-The financial resources of metropolitan areas comprise:

a) The product of the contributions of the municipalities that integrate them;

b) The transfers of the municipalities, in the case of competences delegated by

these;

c) The resulting transfers of contractuation with the central administration and

other public or private entities;

d) The amounts of community co-financing that are allocated to them;

e) The allocations, grants or comholdings of which they come to benefit;

f) The fees for the concrete provision of a local public service, by use

privacy of goods from the public and private domain of the associations of municipalities

or for the removal of a legal obstacle to the behaviour of private individuals,

when such is attribution of the metropolitan area, under the law;

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g) The prices for the services provided and the goods provided;

h) The yield of own goods, the product of its disposal or of the allocation of

rights on them;

i) Any patrimonial accruals, fixed or periodic, which, free of charge

or onerous, they are assigned to them by law, contract or other legal act;

j) Transfer of the State Budget for current operation

corresponding to 1% of the current Financial Equilibrium Fund of the

municipalities in the metropolitan area, with maximum annual limit of variation of

5%;

l) Any other recipes allowed by law.

4-Constituents expenditure of the metropolitan areas the burden arising from the

pursuit of its assignments.

Article 26.

Borrowing

1-A metropolitan area may borrow from any institutions

authorized by law to be granted credit, in identical terms to those of municipalities.

2-The bylaws define, in the limits of the law, the terms of borrowing and

the respective guarantees, which may be constituted by the heritage of the area

metropolitan or by a share of the contributions of municipalities.

3-A conclusion of the contracts referred to in paragraph 1 releva for the purposes of the limits to the

indebtedness capacity of the integral municipalities, according to the criterion

legally defined for these.

4-For the purposes of the provisions of the preceding paragraph, it shall compete with the metropolitan assembly

to deliberate on the form of imputation of charges to the integral municipalities, the

which lacks the express agreement of the respective municipal assemblies.

5-The municipalities are mainly responsible for the payment of the debts

contracted by the associations of municipalities that integrate, in the proportion of the

population resident in each of the member municipalities.

6-A The metropolitan area cannot hire loans in favour of any of the

associated municipalities.

7-It is vetoed to the metropolitan area the granting of loans to public entities or

private, save in the cases expressly provided for in the law.

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8-It is vetted to the metropolitan area the conclusion of contracts with financial entities

with the purpose of consolidating short-term debt, as well as the ceding of

unbeaten credits.

Article 27.

Financial cooperation

1-A metropolitan area can benefit from specific support systems and programs

financial to the municipalities, legally provided for, in particular in the frame of the

technical and financial cooperation between the state and local authorities.

2-The metropolitan areas can establish agreements, contracts-program and

protocols with other entities, public or private, with the object of

pursuit of its assignments.

Article 28.

Tax exemptions

Metropolitan areas benefit from the tax exemptions provided for in the law for the

local authorities.

CHAPTER IV

Contentious reaction

Article 29.

Contentious reaction

The deliberations and decisions of the organs of metropolitan areas are likely to

contentious reaction in the same terms of the deliberations of the municipal bodies.

CHAPTER V

Transitional and final provisions

Article 30.

Transient standard

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1-The organs of the large metropolitan areas of Lisbon and Porto, provided for in the Law

n ° 10/2003 of May 13, remain in office until the end of the current

mandate.

2-The executive administrator or the boards of directors provided for in the Act

n ° 10/2003 of May 13, remain in office until the end of the current

mandate.

3-The powers provided for in Article 17 and 18 of this Law shall be exercised by the

metropolitan joint and by the chairman of the joint, respectively, by the end of the

current term.

4-A transfer provided for in paragraph j) of Article 25 (3) of this Law shall be in

2008 corresponding to that entered in Article 23 of Law No 67-A/2007 of 31 of

December, it may not have in the following years variations greater than 5%.

Article 31.

Entry into force

This Law shall come into force on the first day of the month following its publication.

Seen and approved in Council of Ministers of March 6, 2008

The Prime Minister

The Minister of the Presidency

The Minister of Parliamentary Affairs

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ANNEX I

Metropolitan Area of Porto

Arouca, Espinho, Gondomar, Maia, Matosinhos, Oliveira de Azemels, Porto, Póvoa de

Varzim, Santa Maria da Fair, Santo Tirso, Saint John of Madeira, Trofa, Vale of

Cambra, Valongo, Vila do Conde and Vila Nova de Gaia.

Metropolitan area of Lisbon

Alcochete, Almada, Amadora, Barreiro, Cascais, Lisbon, Loures, Mafra, Moita,

Montijo, Odivelas, Oeiras, Palmela, Seixal, Sesimbra, Setúbal, Sintra and Vila Franca de

Xira