Azorean Carlos Costa Neves, former Minister of Agriculture, former Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, former MEP, and former leader of the PSD-Azores, will take up the post of Secretary General of the Government of the Republic.
Initially, the choice fell on Hélder Rosalino, who decided not to move forward after the controversy over the amount of the salary he wanted, which was the same as his salary at the Bank of Portugal, which was over 15 thousand euros. At the time, the government issued a statement: “The solution found allowed Dr. Hélder Rosalino to maintain the salary he had earned for several years at the Bank of Portugal, which was defined by the Bank. It would allow the Portuguese state to save a second salary, corresponding to the legal scale for the Secretary General of the Government. The Bank of Portugal’s refusal to continue paying the original salary did not prevent the saving of public resources, but it did create an undesirable complexity.
Therefore, the Government will soon appoint another person as Secretary General, and the Bank of Portugal will continue to pay Dr. Hélder Rosalino’s current salary.”
After Rosalino’s unavailability, the appointment fell to the Azorean Social Democrat. It was made by the Prime Minister, and Carlos Costa Neves will be paid the amount set out in the table before the change made by Montenegro’s government to accommodate Rosalino’s salary, and not as the Bank of Portugal consultant wanted. Costa Neves’ salary is set at 5,000 euros, plus 1,000 euros in representation expenses, saving the state around 10,000 euros a month. The Prime Minister himself confirmed the remuneration status of the new Secretary General. The former minister’s remuneration status “will be that provided for under the terms of Article 14(1) of Decree-Law. º 43-B/2024, de 2 de Julho”, according to press reports, following the release of a statement sent to newsrooms.

Carlos Costa Neves was born on the island of Terceira. A lawyer by profession, he has always had a very active political life, both as a member of the Regional Assembly, nationally and in the European Parliament, as well as holding various portfolios in Social Democratic governments, from the regional secretary, secretary of state to minister, with different portfolios, in the governments of Durão Barroso, Santana Lopes, and Pedro Passos Coelho. In the Azores, he also held the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors of SATA AIR Açores, among others.
The Secretary-General, who takes up his duties in the next few days, is under the supervision of Minister Leitão Amaro after Luís Montenegro gave him the powers to oversee this General Secretariat of the Government of the Republic.

The General Secretariat of the Government, which came into operation on January 1, 2025, is part of the 1st Phase of the Reform of the Public Administration. Its mission is to offer transversal support to the government’s technical, administrative, and logistical activities.

Néla Câmara is the editor-in-chief of Correio dos Açores, and Natalino Viveiros is the director.

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.