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Welcome to the site of the Documentation and Comparative
Law Office (GDDC) on the Internet.
Established in 1980 within the Attorney
General's Office, the Documentation and Comparative Law Office
(GDDC) provides assistance to the latter as well as to members
of the Public Prosecution Service
and the judiciary in matters relating to international cooperation,
legal information, publishing of law journals and the use
of the new technologies of information.
According to section 48 of Act nº
60/98 of 27 August (Statute
of the Public Prosecution Service), it is incumbent on
the GDDC to:
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Supply legal assistance, collect, process and disseminate
legal information, particularly in the field of european
law, foreign law and international law, and carry out
studies and disseminate information on comparative law
systems, without prejudice to the powers conferred on
other departments of the Ministry of Justice;
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Cooperate in the organisation
and processing of documents issued by international
organisations;
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Assist the Public Prosecution
Service within the framework of international judicial
and legal cooperation;
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Take part in international
meetings through professional magistrates or officials
designated therefor, provide legal assistance to experts
appointed to participate therein and cooperate with
the country's representatives to International organisations;
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Prepare, publish and distribute
publications organised or directed by the Attorney General's
Office or by the Attorney General;
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Cooperate in disseminating
the Portuguese legal system abroad, namely among Member
States of the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries;
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Develop legal data processing
and management projects falling within the powers of
the Attorney General's Office, according to plans approved
by the Ministry of Justice;
- Perform such other functions
as may be assigned to it as far as documentary and legal
information is concerned.
By virtue of the Framework Law on International
Judicial Cooperation in criminal matters (Act
nº 144/99 of 31 August), the GDDC will provide information
at the request of a foreign judicial authority on relevant
Portuguese law to be used in criminal proceedings; it will
also furnish information on foreign law upon request from
a Portuguese judicial authority (s. 161).
In addition, the GDDC is the national
body appointed under the European Convention on Information
on Foreign Law to receive and transmit information on foreign
and domestic law.
Come visit our Library
The library of the GDDC is open to
the public (from 9.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.). It is specialised
in international law and comparative law, human rights and
EU law; and contains approximately 12,000 monographs and
300 titles of law journals. Legal information available
on the Internet and databases on the GDDC's Intranet may
be accessed via the library; consultation of CD-ROMs in
legal matters is also available there.
As far as its editorial activity is
concerned, the GDDC is charged with the publishing of the
Boletim do Ministério da Justiça and the Boletim
de Documentação e Direito Comparado.
Where is the GDDC located?
  The
GDDC's
offices are situated in the centre of Lisbon, in a building with history dating
from 1946 by the Architect Pardal Monteiro; its façade
is covered with tiles by Almada Negreiros and small ceramic sculptures attributed
to Jorge Barradas.
Contacting the GDDC
If you wish to contact us in writing,
our address is:
Gabinete de Documentação
e Direito Comparado
Rua do Vale de Pereiro, 2
1269-113 Lisboa
The E-mail address is: mail@gddc.pt
Alternatively you can contact us by
Phone: (351) 213820300
Fax: …. (351) 213820301
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