Regional Director of Agriculture renewed for another three years, starting 20 December

The Regional Government has renewed the service commission of Marco Alexandre Caldeira da Costa as Regional Director of Agriculture and Rural Development for another three years. The renewal takes effect on 20 December 2026, the day the current mandate ends, and was decided through Joint Order No. 103/2026, published in the Official Gazette on 11 November 2026.

What was decided#

The order was signed by the President of the Regional Government, Miguel Filipe Machado de Albuquerque, and by the Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Fisheries, Nuno Dinarte de Gouveia Maciel, on 15 October 2026. In practice, the director will continue to lead the regional directorate without interruption, for a new three-year period.

Who the director is#

Marco Alexandre Caldeira da Costa holds a degree and is a Senior Technician on the staff map of IDE - Instituto de Desenvolvimento Empresarial, IP-RAM. He was appointed to the post by Joint Order No. 127/2023, of 28 December 2023, with effect from 20 December 2023, also under a service commission and for three years.

Conditions of the renewal#

According to the text of the order, the renewal depends on the results achieved during the director's time in office, under Article 22 of Law No. 2/2004, which regulates the statute of public administration managers. Holders of senior management posts must notify the relevant member of the government of the end of their commission at least 90 days in advance. The document states that the director complied with this obligation and submitted a report on the results achieved and a summary of the application of the service evaluation system.

The order further considers that the results presented demonstrate the work carried out by the director and their contribution to the mission of the Regional Directorate. It adds that the assumptions underlying the initial appointment still hold, namely technical competence, aptitude, professional experience and training suited to the post. The text does not detail which concrete results were assessed.

Background#

The service commission is the form of temporary appointment used for senior management posts, in which the manager is chosen for a set period and may be renewed. The regime is applied in the Region through Regional Legislative Decree No. 5/2004/M, which adapts Law No. 2/2004 to Madeira.

The Regional Directorate of Agriculture and Rural Development is part of the Regional Secretariat for Agriculture and Fisheries, according to Regional Regulatory Decree No. 13/2025/M, and its organic structure was approved by Regional Regulatory Decree No. 20/2025/M, of 21 November. That decree provides that the directorate is led by the Regional Director, a first-degree senior management post, assisted by a regional deputy director, a second-degree senior management post.

Expenditure#

The order indicates that the expenditure is covered by commitment No. CY42613562, under Secretariat 48, Chapter 01, Division 02, Subdivision 00. The document does not state any remuneration value for the post.