EPPPL 1|2006 PPPs in Portugal – a Solid Concept 19 I. Introduction While modern Public Private Partnerships (“PPPs”) in Portugal started in the early 1990s, the related legal concept of a “concession” – as a coalition of public and private entities based on a long-term contractual relationship, where the rights and obligations of both parties are set out in order to implement a public service – has been used for a long time. Initial concessions w