Artificial Intelligence · Portugal
Artificial Intelligence - Portugal
As an EU member state, Portugal is governed by the EU AI Act, a comprehensive, risk-based horizontal AI law that is directly applicable and phasing in (prohibitions and AI-literacy duties since February 2025; GPAI rules from August 2025; full high-risk obligations by August 2026). Portugal has not enacted a standalone national AI statute; instead it focuses on national implementation, designating ANACOM in September 2025 as the lead market surveillance authority coordinating sectoral regulators. Portugal also maintains a non-binding national strategy, AI Portugal 2030, under the INCoDe.2030 initiative.
The EU AI Act is a directly-applicable EU regulation establishing a risk-based framework (prohibited, high-risk, limited-risk, minimal-risk) that governs AI in Portugal without needing transposition; phased application runs from February 2025 through full high-risk obligations by 2 August 2026.
By a September 2025 Council of Ministers Resolution, Portugal designated ANACOM (Autoridade Nacional de Comunicações) as the national market surveillance authority and single point of contact for the AI Act.
ANACOM coordinates a network of sectoral competent authorities (e.g. ERC for media, GNS/National Security Office, financial inspectorate IGF, Judicial Police, and education/justice inspectorates) that supervise AI within their respective domains.
The Comissão Nacional de Proteção de Dados (CNPD), Portugal's data protection authority, oversees AI processing of personal data under GDPR and is among the authorities protecting fundamental rights under Article 77 of the AI Act.
Portugal's non-binding national AI strategy, AI Portugal 2030, published in 2019 under the INCoDe.2030 initiative, sets priorities for skills, research, innovation ecosystems and public-sector adoption; an updated Agenda Nacional de IA was advanced in 2025 around innovation, talent and infrastructure.
Portugal has not enacted a dedicated domestic AI statute; its regulatory posture is to implement and enforce the directly-applicable EU AI Act and coordinate national supervision rather than legislate separately.
Machine-assisted translation · verified 5/23/2026 · orientation, not legal advice. English version →