Portuguese Constitutional principles go beyond the areas covered by the Directives.

Portugal has ratified the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the Revised European Social Charter, the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the ILO Convention no. 111 on Discrimination, and has signed the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The core of the system to combat racial and ethnic discrimination is ACIDI. It is now the responsibility of ACIDI to promote equality of treatment among all persons, without any discrimination on grounds of racial or ethnic origin, and also to promote dialogue with and integration of immigrants, ethnic minorities and religions existing in the country. All the other competences of the former ACIME continue in the new ACIDI. ACIDI is governed by Decree-law 167/2007 of 03 May 2007 (1), which approves the organisational structure of ACIDI I.P.

In particular, it is the competence of to coordinate the ‘Programa Escolhas’ [‘Choices Programme’], the Estrutura de Missão para o Diálogo com as Religiões [Structure for the Promotion of Religious Dialogue] and the Secretariado Entreculturas [Intercultural Secretariat].

The High Commissioner is assisted by the Comissão para a Igualdade e Contra a Discriminação Racial (CICDR) [Commission for Equality and Against Racial Discrimination (CEARD)], which is part of ACIDI, but a distinct body which only has power to issue advisory opinions. It does not have the power to bring any cases before the courts or to assist complainants in doing this.