Carlos Costa Neves is set to join the executive council of the Fundação Luso-Americana para o Desenvolvimento (Luso-American Development Foundation), stepping down from his role as Secretary-General of the Portuguese Government.

A prominent political figure from the Azores and former leader of the PSD/Açores, Costa Neves has also served as Portugal’s Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, bringing decades of public service to his new position within one of the most significant institutions fostering transatlantic relations between Portugal and the United States.

His departure from the government was formalized following his appointment by FLAD’s Board of Trustees. In a statement from the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, the prime minister accepted Costa Neves’s resignation, noting the transition as part of the institutional process tied to his new role.

António Vicente will succeed him as Secretary-General of the Government, while also continuing to coordinate the Working Group for State Reform. Vicente, a senior official at the European Commission and an invited assistant professor at Nova SBE, brings a technocratic profile to the position at a time when administrative restructuring remains a key priority.

The office of the Secretary-General, created in January of last year, is part of a broader effort to streamline government operations. According to official data, one of its central goals is to reduce the number of senior management positions by 25%, generating annual savings of approximately €4.1 million for the state.

At FLAD, Costa Neves will serve under the presidency of José Manuel Durão Barroso, who has led the foundation’s executive council since January 15. His appointment reinforces the institution’s longstanding commitment to leadership figures with deep experience in both national governance and international affairs.

Costa Neves’s career spans multiple decades and levels of public administration. He served as Regional Director of Social Security (1978–1981), a member of the Azorean Regional Government (1981–1992), and chairman of the board of SATA-Air Açores (1992–1994). He later represented Portugal in the European Parliament (1994–2002), and held roles as Secretary of State for European Affairs and member of the Portuguese Parliament between 2009 and 2018.

His move to FLAD marks not just a professional transition, but a symbolic one—an Azorean voice entering a key transatlantic institution, at a moment when cultural, political, and strategic ties between Portugal and the United States continue to evolve.

In Diário Insular-José Lourenço, director.

(FLAD has been one of the main sponsors of PBBI, Fresno State)

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