The Council of Ministers approved this Friday, via electronic means, a resolution appointing career diplomat Nuno Filipe Alves Salvador e Brito as president of the Defense Investment Monitoring Commission (CAID). Nuno Brito has been Portugal's ambassador to the United Kingdom since 2022 and is a career diplomat, having previously served as Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador to the United States, and Permanent Representative to the European Union. He was born in Angola in 1959.
The Defense Investment Monitoring Commission was created through a publication in the Official Gazette in July and aims to monitor, oversee, and issue recommendations regarding the execution of national defense investments and the Instrument for Action for Security in Europe (SAFE Instrument). The structure was to be presided over by an independent personality of recognized merit designated by the Council of Ministers upon proposal by the Minister of National Defense.
In addition to the president, CAID is composed of a representative from Foreign Affairs, one from Finance, one from Economy and Territorial Cohesion, and one from National Defense, as well as a representative from each of the three largest parliamentary groups, namely PSD, Chega, and PS. The Government also created a second entity, the SAFE Audit and Control Commission (CAC-SAFE), responsible for oversight, auditing, and control of the application of SAFE Instrument funds in Portugal.
The commission arises in a context of significant increase in Portugal's defense investments, including the application of European SAFE loan funds, with the application totaling approximately 5.8 billion euros.
