The Cabinet of Portugal (also called the Council of Ministers, , kõˈseʎu dɨ miˈniʃtɾuʃ or kõˈsɐʎu dɨ mɨˈniʃtɾuʃ) is a collegial body presided over by the Prime Minister

Prime Minister of Portugal

Prime Minister is the current title of the chief of the Portuguese Government. As chief executive, the Prime Minister coordinates the action of ministers, representing the Government from the other organs of state, accountable to Parliament and keeps the President informed...

. All ministers are members of the council of ministers, and when the prime minister finds it fit, state secretaries can also attend its meetings.

Functions

The Council of Ministers discusses and approves bills

Bill (proposed law)

A bill is a proposed law under consideration by a legislature. A bill does not become law until it is passed by the legislature and, in most cases, approved by the executive. Once a bill has been enacted into law, it is called an act or a statute....

 to be submitted to the Assembly of the Republic

Assembly of the Republic

The Assembly of the Republic is the Portuguese parliament. It is located in a historical building in Lisbon, referred to as Palácio de São Bento, the site of an old Benedictine monastery...

 and decree

Decree

A decree is a rule of law issued by a head of state , according to certain procedures . It has the force of law...

s and resolutions.

Current Council of Ministers

As of June 21, 2011, the Council of Ministers consists of the following:

Ministry	Incumbent	Term
Prime Minister Prime Minister of Portugal Prime Minister is the current title of the chief of the Portuguese Government. As chief executive, the Prime Minister coordinates the action of ministers, representing the Government from the other organs of state, accountable to Parliament and keeps the President informed...	Pedro Passos Coelho Pedro Passos Coelho Pedro Manuel Mamede Passos Coelho , is Prime Minister of Portugal. Passos Coelho started very early in politics, becoming the national leader of the youth branch of the Social Democratic Party...	June 21, 2011 -
State Minister of State Minister of State is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a "minister of state" is a junior minister, who is assigned to assist a specific cabinet minister...  and Finance	Vítor Gaspar Vítor Gaspar Vítor Gaspar was an adviser to the Bank of Portugal since February 2010, having been from 2007 Director-General at the Bureau of European Policy Advisers with the President of the European Commission. Previously he was Director-General for Research at the European Central Bank for six years. He is...	June 21, 2011 -
State Minister of State Minister of State is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a "minister of state" is a junior minister, who is assigned to assist a specific cabinet minister...  and Foreign Affairs Minister of Foreign Affairs (Portugal) The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Portugal is in charge of conducting the foreign policy established by the Portuguese government, representing the country in many international meetings. The current Minister is Paulo Portas...	Paulo Portas Paulo Portas Paulo de Sacadura Cabral Portas , commonly known just by Paulo Portas , is a Portuguese politician, party leader of the Democratic and Social Centre – People's Party , a member of the Portuguese Parliament and former Portuguese minister of State, National Defense and Sea Affairs.In 2011, after he...	June 21, 2011 -
National Defence Ministry of National Defence (Portugal) The Ministry of National Defence , MDN, is a Portuguese government ministry.-External links:*...	José Pedro Aguiar Branco	June 21, 2011 -
Internal Administration	Miguel Macedo Miguel Macedo -References:...	June 21, 2011 -
Justice Ministry of Justice (Portugal) The Ministry of Justice is a Portuguese government ministry.-External links:**...	Paula Teixeira da Cruz	June 21, 2011 -
Parliamentary Affairs	Miguel Relvas Miguel Relvas -References:...	June 21, 2011 -
Economy and Employment	Álvaro Santos Pereira Álvaro Santos Pereira Álvaro Santos Pereira is a Portuguese economist and professor. He is the current Minister of Economy, Labour, Transport, Public Works and Communications of Portugal.-Career:Álvaro Santos Pereira was born in Viseu, Portugal in 1972...	June 21, 2011 -
Agriculture, Maritime Affairs, Evironment and Regional Planning	Assunção Cristas Assunção Cristas Assunção Cristas is a prominent leader of the Democratic and Social Center - People's Party, a conservative party in Portugal. As of 2011, she is the Portuguese Agriculture, Sea, Environment and Spatial Planning Minister. Graduated in law by the University of Lisbon, she is a lawyer by training...	June 21, 2011 -
Health Ministry of Health (Portugal) The Ministry of Health , is a Portuguese government ministry.-External links:*...	Paulo Macedo Paulo Macedo -References:...	June 21, 2011 -
Education and Science	Nuno Crato Nuno Crato Nuno Paulo de Sousa Arrobas Crato is a Portuguese university professor, researcher, mathematician, economist, and writer. For many years, Crato was a researcher and professor in the United States. Back in Portugal, he taught mathematics and statistics in the ISEG/Technical University of Lisbon...	June 21, 2011 -
Social Solidarity and Social Security Ministry of Labour and Social Solidarity The Ministry of Labour and Social Solidarity , MTSS, is a Portuguese government ministry.-External links:*...	Pedro Mota Soares Pedro Mota Soares -References:...	June 21, 2011 -

External links

• Government of Portugal Official Website