The diploma that changes the composition of the Board of Directors of Metropolitano de Lisboa, with the introduction of the role of vice-president, but maintaining the same number of members of the body, was published this Tuesday, 25th, in Diário da República.
The diploma thus amends article 4 of Decree-Law no. 148-A/2009, which states that the board of directors of the Lisbon Metro is now “composed of a president, a vice-president and three members, appointed by resolution of the Council of Ministers, on the proposal of the members of the Government responsible for the areas of finance and transport”.
According to the diploma, the change is justified by “the current growth and development of the Lisbon Metropolitan, EPE (ML, EPE), as well as mobility in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area (AML), with the implementation of the circular line, the extension of the red line, the construction of the Violet Line, the extension of the Metro Sul do Tejo”.
Therefore, according to the amendment published today, in addition to “other significant technological advances”, the change “is vital to address environmental concerns and combat climate change, aligning with sustainability goals and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, attracting more people to public transport and ensuring modal transition”.
“In this sense, taking into account the special demands, complexity and strategic relevance of the activity of this public company for the country, it is necessary to change the composition of the board of directors of ML, EPE, through the introduction of the vice-president of the board of directors, maintaining, however, the same number of elements that make up the aforementioned board of directors”, the diploma also reads.
The Government approved on October 30th in the Council of Ministers the creation of the vice-president of the Lisbon Metro Board, whose president, on a replacement basis, is Maria Helena Campos, following the death of Vítor Santos, in June 2024.
The current Board of Directors (CA) of Metropolitano de Lisboa was appointed for the three-year period 2022-2024, appointing Vítor Santos as president and Maria Helena Campos and João Paulo Saraiva as members of the Board of Directors.
According to information on the official website of Metro de Lisboa, Sónia Easter was also appointed member of the CA of Metro de Lisboa, until the end of the current term of office.
At the beginning of November, the Secretary of State for Mobility, Cristina Pinto Dias, told Lusa that “by the first half of December” the situation on the Board of Directors of the Metropolitano de Lisboa would be regularized, without knowing whether there would be changes in the people who make up it.
Cristina Pinto Dias explained that the Government is doing what “is necessary to do in procedural terms”, noting that “by the first half of December the situation will be regularized”.
“The necessary decisions have already started to take place. In particular, we created the figure of vice-president, as a result of the complexity that was also evident here today in view of the millions and millions of euros of investment that are currently underway [início da obra de expansão da linha Vermelha]”, he explained.
Asked about possible changes in the composition of the Lisbon Metro Board, the Secretary of State said she did not know if there would be a change, taking into account that the “decision has not yet been made”.