Morais Leitão was present at the annual Portugal Renewable Energy Summit 2025, organised by the Portuguese Renewable Energy Association (APREN), which took place on 2 and 3 October at the Grande Auditório of Culturgest, in Lisbon.
The firm was represented by Francisco Mendes da Silva, co-coordinator of the Tax practice, who spoke as a panellist in the debate “Sector legislation: from theory to practice”, held on 3 October. The panel also included contributions from Bruno Azevedo Rodrigues (Abreu Advogados, Partner) and João Marques Mendes (PLMJ, Partner), with moderation by Carlos Lobo (Lobo Carmona, Founding Partner).
In his intervention and subsequent interview, Francisco Mendes da Silva stressed that “for now it is important to simplify legislation because what we see is that every time one tries to solve a problem, legislation is passed which makes things more complex and creates more doubts in the sector, but perhaps more than that it is the political courage of decision-makers to stop what is a major problem in the sector, which is a great administrative friction in resolving interpretative doubts of the law, conflicts of interest, because that is what has generated great hesitation and major doubts in the sector.”
Asked about the opportunities that could arise if these barriers were overcome, he said: “it is obviously a booming sector, or one that could be booming, it is a sector of the future, we will always need energy, and renewable energies are evidently the future. It is striking how 15 years ago we had an almost dazzling political optimism, but in a good sense, about the possibilities. But in the meantime, we have had two factors, not only this administrative friction, but also fiscal friction which have caused doubts as to whether the sector or whether companies are viable in Portugal.”
On the need for a more agile legislative framework, he added: “yes, but I don’t know if it will be that or if it will be the political decision-maker forcing the administrative decision-maker to be more agile because we think we always have perfect laws, they are probably among the best in the world, but the problem is that their interpretation and practical application often make them an impediment to business.”
The Portugal Renewable Energy Summit is the leading conference dedicated to the renewable energy sector in Portugal, with more than 10 years of history. This event brings together the main public, governmental and private entities to debate the latest developments in the sector, particularly with regard to policy, regulation, strategy and research & development.
Find out more about the event here.
