Lisbon, Nov. 27, 2025 (Lusa) - The French Naval Group believes that the Portuguese Government will choose its proposal to acquire three new frigates, and wants to invest in the Alfeite Arsenal on the south bank of the river Tagus, in the Lisbon district, by creating a new company.
In a statement sent to the Lusa news agency, an official source from the French group said it continues to believe that the government will close the deal with Naval Group, after the Portuguese and Italian defence ministers signed a declaration of intent on Wednesday regarding cooperation, particularly in industry, in a context where Italy's Fincantieri is competing with the French for the deal.
Naval Group expressed its conviction that its proposal (which includes the supply of three state-of-the-art frigates, "fully operational and combat-proven (until 2030) is the best and most rational for the Portuguese Navy and the Portuguese authorities".
The proposal, which is still under evaluation, includes a plan to modernise the Arsenal do Alfeite shipyards, which have been experiencing serious financial difficulties for years, through the investment of "the necessary amounts, estimated at several dozen million euros" to "create a naval industry hub".
"At the heart of this proposal is the creation of a new company, jointly owned by Naval Group and Arsenal do Alfeite. This new company will manage and execute all future Portuguese Navy maintenance contracts, ensuring the highest levels of operational availability and performance. The initiative aims to contribute directly to Portugal's sovereignty and strategic autonomy and to the consolidation of a sustainable naval industrial ecosystem," reads a statement released by the group and sent to Lusa.
According to the French group, the new company will "guarantee and develop jobs" at Arsenal do Alfeite and "in many other Portuguese companies in the maintenance field".
Naval Group also guarantees that "20% of the investment in the frigates will be returned to the domestic economy over their life cycle".
The French are ready to deliver the new frigates in five years "in compliance with SAFE (Security Action Facility for Europe) requirements, quickly and without risk, as they are already in mass production and have already been delivered to the French Navy and, by the end of the year, to the Greek Navy".
The Government will have to present its plan in Brussels by the end of the month to secure the €6 billion envelope in European loans from the SAFE programme, which Portugal has to implement by 2030.
"The process will be considered by the European Commission by the end of February. In truth, I would say that what has to do with SAFE begins at the end of November and there is a long way to go until February. At this moment, in November, we are not deciding what we are going to do. In fact, what is decided may well be forecast in November and not materialise in February," defence minister, Nuno Melo said on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, at the Fort of São Julião da Barra, in Oeiras, with his Italian counterpart Guido Crosetto at his side, Nuno Melo told journalists that "at this moment, no decision has been made" on the deal.
The Navy currently has five frigates: Vasco da Gama, Álvares Cabral, Corte-Real, Bartolomeu Dias and D. Francisco de Almeida.
On 5th November, at a hearing in the parliament, defence minister Nuno Melo said that the acquisition of frigates was "increasingly a very strong possibility, given NATO's capability targets".
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