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The SNPCE was created by Decree-Law No. 43/2020 of 21 July, with the aim of organising and preparing strategic sectors of the State to respond to crisis situations.

The creation of the SNPCE, based on its own legislation, implements the provisions of Article 36(1) of Decree No. 45/2019 of 1 April, which approves the structure of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) and the need to finalise the division of powers between it and the bodies that make up this new system.

The SNPCE's mission is to coordinate national efforts to increase the country's resilience in crisis situations, ensuring the continuity of government action, the regular functioning of essential services, and the safety of the population. Civil emergency planning integrates various sectoral entities and coordinates capabilities not belonging to the Armed Forces.

The Secretary-General of the Internal Security System is responsible for ensuring this coordination, while the Armed Forces may act as civil protection agents or in accordance with the operational guidelines established in the Internal Security Law (Law No. 53/2008 of 29 August).

The SNPCE is composed of the National Civil Emergency Planning Council (CNPCE) and nine sectoral Emergency Planning Committees.

The CNPCE is a collegiate body that coordinates and supports the Government in matters of civil emergency planning. It reports to the Prime Minister or a member of the Government by delegation.

The CNPCE is generally responsible for:

• Contributing to the definition of national civil emergency planning policy;

• Coordinating planning and issuing general and specific guidelines for crisis adaptation, with a view to meeting civil needs and providing civil support to the Armed Forces;

• Establishing Emergency Planning Committees;

• Identifying critical infrastructure and promoting its resilience;

• Monitoring legislation and issuing recommendations.

The CNPCE is composed of the President (by default, the President of ANEPC), a Vice-President, representatives of Regional Governments, the Armed Forces, various government entities, and the presidents of the Emergency Planning Committees.

Emergency Planning Committees are sectoral bodies of the National Civil Emergency Planning System responsible for planning and organising crisis response in their respective sectors.

The committees are composed of a chair, a vice-chair and members appointed by order, and report to the member of the Government responsible for the respective sector and, functionally, to the chair of the CNPCE.

There are nine specialised committees:

• Water and Waste

• Agriculture and Food

• Cybersecurity

• Communications

• Energy

• Health

• Air Transport

• Maritime Transport

• Land Transport

The main functions of the committees are:

• To propose draft legislation and plans that reflect the sector's civil emergency planning policies;

• To identify the public or private entities that should be involved in the sector's civil emergency planning;

• To define the tasks to be performed by these entities;

• To promote studies on adaptation to crisis situations.

The committees ensure that each strategic sector of the country is properly prepared to respond to crises, strengthening national resilience and ensuring the regular functioning of essential services.

The concept emerged during the Cold War, within NATO, to ensure civilian support for military structures. In Portugal, the CNPCE was created in 1984 and underwent reorganisations until the creation of the current SNPCE.

The main pieces of legislation are:

• Decree-Law No. 45/2019 – Approves the structure of ANEPC.

• Decree-Law No. 43/2020 – Creates SNPCE.

The CNPCE holds regular meetings twice a year and extraordinary meetings when necessary.

In crisis situations, the Vice-President and sectoral coordinators of the CNPCE are integrated into the bodies supporting the Prime Minister.

The National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) is responsible for this support.

The CNPCE is responsible for identifying and designating national and European critical infrastructure, as established in Decree-Law No. 20/2022. In addition, it approves the criteria for identifying such infrastructure and may request opinions from other relevant entities. If necessary, the CNPCE may identify critical infrastructure other than that proposed by sectoral entities, ensuring a comprehensive and strategic approach to national security and resilience.