Carta Social

3/12/2025

Cooperation between the State and social and solidarity sector entities, namely private social solidarity institutions and legally equivalent institutions, governed by the guiding principles of subsidiarity, proportionality, solidarity and participation, is of recognised central and strategic importance in the development of services, responses and social support institutions for the social protection of citizens, in particular the most vulnerable.

With the publication of Ministerial Implementing Order No 100/2017 of 7 March 2017, the Programme for the Conclusion or Extension of Cooperation Agreements for the Development of Social Responses (PROCOOP) was created, which is based on the opening of tender procedures for the selection of social responses promoted by social and solidarity sector entities and approved the respective regulation. Ministerial Implementing Order No 143/2021 of 9 July 2021 amended the PROCOOP Regulation in order to ensure, simplify and streamline the procedures relating to the selection of entities and social responses, which meet the conditions and requirements necessary for the conclusion and revision of cooperation agreements.

By Order No 4368/2025 of 8 April, published in the Diário da República (Series 2), the Minister for Labour, Solidarity and Social Security approved the first call for applications for PROCOOP 2025.

As stated in that order, between 29 April and 15 May 2025 there was a period of applications for the PROCOOP programme, intended for all entities in the social and solidarity sector, which developed or intended to develop social responses, within the framework of the Network of Social Services and Equipment (RSES), with a view to concluding agreements or extending existing cooperation agreements, in accordance with the social action subsystem, for the following typical social responses:

• Residential Structure for the Elderly (ERPI);
• Day Centre;
• Home Support Service (SAD);
• Activity and Training Centre for Inclusion (CACI);
• Residential Home (LR);
• Residence of Autonomization and Inclusion (RAI).

For each of the eligible responses, the competing entities could apply to:

• Conclusion of a new cooperation agreement to develop a social response;
• Revision of a typical cooperation agreement already concluded and in force at the time of the application, in terms of the number of users agreed, for the social response, to cover more users;
• Increase in the number of services provided per user and/or extension to the provision of services during the weekend.

Applications that did not guarantee the admission conditions provided for in Article 10 of the PROCOOP Regulation were rejected by the ISS, I.P. Applications that meet these conditions were ranked according to the priorities and assessment criteria defined in Ministerial Implementing Order No 100/2017 of 7 March 2017 and the weightings defined in the Call for applications.

The budget allocation defined, with the breakdown by type of application and eligible social response, in Standard V of the Notice corresponds to the amount of public funding of EUR 8 300 000.

Under the said legislation, applications not included in the budget allocation defined are rejected by the Social Security Institute, I.P., unless there is a reformulation of the budget allocation, by reinforcement or reallocation of remaining balances, and applications may be approved, under the terms to be set by the member of government responsible for Labour, Solidarity and Social Security. By order of the Secretary of State for Social Security of 5 November 2025, the increase/recast of the appropriation was authorised, with the appropriation corresponding to the amount of EUR 10 844.250, allowing the approval of all the applications accepted. Pursuant to Article 15(6) of the PROCOOP Regulation, the list of applications submitted under PROCOOP - 1st Call/2025and its conclusion (not admitted, granted, withdrawn and archived).

More information can be found at: Portal of the Social Security Institute, IP.