Portugal has been transformed in recent decades. The consolidation of democracy since the 1974 revolution, which overthrew the authoritarian dictator Marcelo Caetano, and EU membership since 1986 has brought Portugal into the European mainstream.
In 1999 Portugal was one of the first countries to introduce the euro. For over three decades now, Portugal has been a progressive democracy founded on the rule of law and committed to promoting free enterprise.
In Portugal, the right to ownership of property is well protected. The 1989 revision of the constitution removed much of the remaining Marxist rhetoric of the original document and laid the groundwork for further privatization of nationalized firms and the government-owned communications media.
For over three decades now, Portugal has been a progressive democracy founded on the rule of law and committed to promoting free enterprise.
The 1992 revision made constitution compatible with the Maastricht treaty. While Portugal has not historically played a leading role within the EU, its six-month presidency of the Union in the first half of 2000 and the high international profile of the then Prime Minister, Antonio Guterres, enabled the country temporarily to punch above its weight in EU affairs.
