Decree-Law No. 16/2004 regulating cooperatives.

This Decree-Law, composed of 92 articles divided in ten Chapters, aims to help rekindle cooperative values in order to release energy to rebuild the country and the mentalities and values that have been deformed during the period of military occupation. This Decree-Law establishes the set of norms that will regulate the formation, organization and functioning of cooperatives as legal persons, as well as the winding-up and liquidation. Moreover, it classifies the relevant branches of the cooperative sector, such as production and work, consumption, trade, agriculture and fisheries. The Decree-Law defines the types of cooperatives and regulates their establishment, membership, management, winding up, liquidation and transformation. Voluntary and open membership- Cooperatives are voluntary organisations, open to all persons able to use their services and willing to accept the responsibilities of membership, without gender, social, racial, political or religious discrimination. Men and women actively participate in the formulation of policies and in decision-making process.