António Costa says this is a historic agreement between the European Union and Mercosur and rejected criticism that it favours Europe. According to the President of the European Council, it is a trade agreement but also one on investment.
Waves may reach a maximum height of 10 metres in the north-west.
Voting in presidential elections remains strictly in person, and the abstention rate among citizens abroad has consistently stayed above 90%.
Update: Reporting highlights that emigrants frequently must travel hundreds of kilometres to reach polling stations in order to vote — a distance many say they cannot afford or manage: “No love of country can withstand it,” one expatriate commented. Analysts and rights groups say the in‑person‑only requirement effectively disenfranchises large numbers of expats and helps explain the persistently high abstention rate, prompting renewed calls for policy changes such as expanded polling locations abroad, postal voting or secure electronic options; authorities acknowledge logistical and legal hurdles but have not set a timetable for reforms.
Economist João Rodrigues de Santos warns that a public guarantee scheme is encouraging young people to take on mortgages with high repayments and minimal financial headroom, just as Portugal faces major international uncertainty. With wages among the third‑worst in the EU, the end of pandemic-era supports and the prospect of rising interest rates, many borrowers — including first-time buyers and expats — are exposed to rapid financial distress. The combination of weak income growth, a heated property market and policy incentives to lend underestimates downside risks; the commentator argues for tighter underwriting, better safety nets and targeted borrower support to reduce systemic vulnerability.
Update: The economist reiterated in a CNN Portugal piece that the public guarantee is actively pushing young buyers into mortgages with high repayments and little buffer amid heightened international uncertainty. He highlighted that the withdrawal of pandemic-era supports and the prospect of rising interest rates mean many borrowers — notably first-time buyers and expatriates — could rapidly fall into financial distress, strengthening his call for stricter underwriting standards and targeted safety nets to contain systemic risk.
A press roundup reporting an increase in foreign doctors in Portugal — though not being brought into the SNS (Portuguese National Health Service) — and coverage that Spain is acting as a stumbling block to Mário Centeno’s prospects at the European Central Bank (ECB).
Road access to the Torre in Serra da Estrela has been closed to traffic since 13:45 on Thursday after snow forced the shutdown of sections of National Road 338 between Piornos, the Torre and Lagoa Comprida. The closure affects weekend travel plans to the mountain summit; authorities have not given a reopening time, so anyone planning to visit should expect disruption, seek alternative routes and monitor local updates for safety and road-clearance information.
Update: Access to the Torre remains closed due to snow affecting the same sections of National Road 338 between Piornos, the Torre and Lagoa Comprida; the closure first came into effect at 13:45 on Thursday and authorities still have not announced a reopening time. Travellers planning weekend visits should expect continued disruption, consider postponing or using alternative routes where available, prepare appropriate winter equipment (for example snow chains and warm clothing) and keep monitoring local authority and weather updates for road-clearance and safety information.
Operation 'Mariposa' targeted products subject to excise duties, narcotics and illegal gambling equipment.
The Finance Minister will be at next week's annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, and will use the presence of policymakers and investors to 'sell' the progress the national economy has made in recent years. In remarks to ECO, Joaquim Miranda Sarmento highlights this year's event theme, ...
Patriarch of Lisbon Rui Valério argued that immigration does not undermine Portugal’s Christian foundations, emphasising that Catholicism and Christian culture foster a universalist mentality. He stressed the need for integration and respect for the country’s cultural and religious traditions, asserting that newcomers do not threaten or call into question the nation’s Christian character.
Update: Rui Valério reiterated that Catholicism and Christian culture are “a strong promoter of a universalist mentality”, underscoring that immigration does not call into question or jeopardise the Christian character of Portuguese society. He emphasised the importance of integration and respect for Portugal's cultural and religious traditions, arguing that newcomers do not compromise the nation's Christian identity and urging a balanced, inclusive approach to social cohesion.
In Lisbon, Vitória lives with her boyfriend and her daughter in a three-bedroom flat shared with another family — a mother who has two daughters. In Porto, Gabriela sleeps in the same room as her two 16-year-old daughters. There are increasing cases of families sharing homes.
Portugal faces a mixed outcome from the EU–Mercosur trade agreement. Export-oriented sectors such as wine, olive oil and cheese see expanded market access to Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay as growth opportunities, while domestic meat and rice producers fear increased competition, downward price pressure and quota-driven market disruption. The deal thus creates winners and losers within Portugal’s agricultural and food industries, highlighting the need for safeguards, support measures and sectoral adaptation strategies.
Update: The trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur is due to be signed this Saturday. The impending signature has intensified debate in Portugal: wine, olive oil and cheese sectors are positioning to capture growth in the four South American markets, while meat and rice producers renew warnings about heightened competition, downward price pressure and quota effects. Stakeholders are pressing for concrete safeguards, transitional support and clear implementation timetables to mitigate adjustment costs and protect sensitive domestic producers.
Ivo Vieira, CEO of Lusospace — Portugal’s first homegrown space company — explains on the podcast 'O Futuro do Futuro' how the country’s Aerospace Engineering courses continue to post record-breaking averages and how that strong educational pipeline is producing talent the national space sector can recruit across roles, not only engineers. He stresses that the quality of graduates makes recruitment easier for emerging Portuguese space firms, signalling a maturing ecosystem linking higher education and industry needs.
Portugal’s agenda is dominated by the EU–Mercosur agreement being signed today, with leaders touting export opportunities for industry, wine and olive oil even as critics warn of pressure on small farms. At home, ANA has filed an environmental report for the new airport while DBRS kept Portugal’s sovereign rating unchanged. Meanwhile, orange swell warnings cover seven mainland districts, ground-handling tenders are awarded amid dispute, and emigrants again report long journeys to vote.
ANA | VINCI Airports has delivered the first environmental report for the planned Luís de Camões Airport to the Portuguese government, meeting the timetable set in the concession contract and moving the long permitting process forward. Multiple outlets say the submission is a formal milestone rather than final approval: further technical reviews and licences remain before construction can start. Those tracking transport projects or property near the proposed site should note the project is advancing but not yet authorised.
ANA is the company that operates and manages most of Portugal’s major airports; its formal name is ANA — Aeroportos de Portugal (Airports of Portugal), and it is run under a long-term concession by VINCI Airports. ANA handles planning, infrastructure and regulatory steps — for example, it delivered the first environmental report in the licensing process for the proposed Luís de Camões Airport, a key procedural milestone for that project.
Luís de Camões Airport is a proposed new airport project in Portugal, named after the national poet, currently going through environmental and licensing assessments. The operator (ANA) submitted the first environmental report as part of the concession timetable in early 2026, so the project is still in the planning and approval stage rather than in construction.
The Canadian rating agency DBRS left Portugal's credit rating unchanged at its recent review and kept the outlook stable, citing continued fiscal progress and a path to a budget surplus in 2025. Outlets note this follows DBRS's upgrade to 'A (high)' last year and is consistent with other recent assessments of Portuguese public finances. Borrowers, investors and anyone monitoring mortgage or bond markets should see this as a sign of continued credit stability.
DBRS Morningstar is a Canadian credit-rating agency that assesses sovereign and corporate creditworthiness; its ratings influence investor confidence and borrowing costs. In January 2025 DBRS upgraded Portugal to A (high) with a stable outlook, kept that rating in a July 2025 review, and most recently chose not to change it — a signal that creditors see Portugal’s finances as relatively solid.
The Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) has issued an orange warning for rough seas across seven mainland districts—Porto, Viana do Castelo, Braga, Aveiro, Coimbra, Leiria and Lisbon—in force until 12:00 on Saturday. Swells are expected to be particularly severe in the north‑west, with waves potentially reaching up to 10 metres. The advisory signals a heightened marine hazard; residents, mariners and coastal visitors should heed official guidance and avoid exposed areas.
Update: CNN Portugal confirms IPMA's forecast of waves up to 10 metres and reiterates that the orange warning remains in force until 12:00 on Saturday; authorities advise avoiding exposed coastal and harbour areas until conditions ease.
Update 2: Público and other outlets list the affected districts explicitly and note that Coimbra and Braga have orange warnings in effect until 12:00 while other districts are under yellow warning levels — a staggered schedule responders say reflects local conditions.
IPMA is the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera), the national agency for weather, marine forecasts and climate monitoring. Expats should watch its forecasts and warnings during storms, heatwaves or cold snaps because IPMA issues official advisories used by services, transport operators and local authorities.
After 25 years of negotiations, the European Union and Mercosur have signed a comprehensive trade agreement in Paraguay that aims to create the world’s largest free-trade area, covering more than 700 million consumers. The deal opens markets for European exports — including vehicles, machinery, wines, spirits, olive oil and cheese — and is welcomed by business groups such as Portugal’s CIP and the Portuguese government as a major opportunity for economic growth on both sides of the Atlantic. Implementation and regulatory alignment will be crucial for the agreement to deliver its projected benefits and reshape transatlantic trade flows.
Update: The signing ceremony took place in Asunción, Paraguay; EU leaders including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa attended, while Brazil’s president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva did not attend and was represented by his foreign minister, Mauro Vieira. Portuguese media note the pact covers more than 700 million consumers and highlights Portuguese exporters (wines, olive oil, cheese) as well placed to gain access — but national ratification and regulatory alignment are still required before trade changes take effect.
Update 2: Multiple outlets report the formal signatories included Mercosur members such as Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, and the EU delegation included the European Commissioner for Trade Maroš Šefčovič. Ursula von der Leyen framed the pact as a choice for “fair trade rather than tariffs.” The agreement still requires national ratification and technical regulatory alignment before market changes apply.
Mercosur is the South American trade bloc (Southern Common Market) whose main founding members are Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. An EU–Mercosur trade agreement — which the story says may be approved and signed soon — would reduce tariffs and open markets on both sides, affecting agricultural and industrial trade flows and therefore prices and business opportunities relevant to residents and companies in Portugal.
António Costa is a Portuguese lawyer and politician born July 17, 1961, in Lisbon with Goan-Indian heritage. He served as Prime Minister from 2015 to 2024, the second-longest tenure in Portuguese democracy and the longest among 21st-century Iberian leaders. Costa led an unprecedented coalition between Socialists, Communists, the Green Party, and the Left Bloc, balancing fiscal rigor with social investment. He was elected President of the European Council in December 2024. His tenure faced challenges over lithium mining and hydrogen projects; on November 7, 2023, he resigned following a corruption investigation into alleged mishandling of these initiatives, with his chief of staff arrested. Costa asserted his innocence and declared he would not run for a fourth term as Prime Minister.
Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen (born October 8, 1958, in Brussels, Belgium) is a German physician and politician serving as President of the European Commission since December 1, 2019, becoming the first woman to hold this office. She previously served as Germany's Minister of Defense (2013-2019) and held cabinet positions in family, labour, and social affairs under Chancellor Angela Merkel. Re-elected in July 2024 with 401 votes for a second term until 2029, Forbes named her the world's most powerful woman in 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025. Relationship with Portugal:
Von der Leyen approved Portugal's Recovery and Resilience Plan in June 2021—the first among 27 EU member states—worth €16.6 billion to "profoundly transform the economy". In a 2025 tribute to Portugal's 40 years in the EU, she declared "Your Fado, your destiny, is right here at the heart of Europe," praising Portugal's renewable energy leadership, infrastructure transformation, and ocean protection. She highlighted Portugal's potential in lithium processing and AI startups while advocating for removing obstacles to economic growth. She also promoted energy interconnections like the Bay of Biscay project linking France-Spain, addressing Iberian energy isolation.
The European Council (Conselho Europeu) brings together EU heads of state or government to set the bloc’s overall political direction and priorities; it does not adopt ordinary legislation. Its president, Charles Michel, has chaired meetings since December 2019, and the Council’s political endorsement is important for major trade and investment deals, so those following EU policy should note its stance on agreements like the EU–Mercosur deal.
Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa defended the EU–Mercosur agreement as a historic deal and rejected European criticism as based on a “totally wrong perception”. Costa framed the pact as both a trade and an investment agreement, arguing it does not simply favour Europe. His remarks come after the 27 EU member states reached a qualified majority to approve the accord; Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro? No — the content states Brazil’s president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will not attend the signing ceremony in Paraguay as the long-delayed pact moves into the ratification phase in Europe.
Update: Diário de Notícias reports that António Costa will attend the signing ceremony in Asunción and reiterated that concerns about farmers’ opposition are misplaced, saying the agreement includes safeguards for European agriculture.
Update 2: Additional coverage quotes Costa saying criticisms rest on a “completely wrong perception” and using the image of the EU and Mercosur “building bridges” rather than raising barriers; RTP and Expresso note he continues to portray the pact as both trade and investment, emphasising expected benefits for Portuguese exporters.
The European Council (Conselho Europeu) brings together EU heads of state or government to set the bloc’s overall political direction and priorities; it does not adopt ordinary legislation. Its president, Charles Michel, has chaired meetings since December 2019, and the Council’s political endorsement is important for major trade and investment deals, so those following EU policy should note its stance on agreements like the EU–Mercosur deal.
António Costa is a Portuguese lawyer and politician born July 17, 1961, in Lisbon with Goan-Indian heritage. He served as Prime Minister from 2015 to 2024, the second-longest tenure in Portuguese democracy and the longest among 21st-century Iberian leaders. Costa led an unprecedented coalition between Socialists, Communists, the Green Party, and the Left Bloc, balancing fiscal rigor with social investment. He was elected President of the European Council in December 2024. His tenure faced challenges over lithium mining and hydrogen projects; on November 7, 2023, he resigned following a corruption investigation into alleged mishandling of these initiatives, with his chief of staff arrested. Costa asserted his innocence and declared he would not run for a fourth term as Prime Minister.
Mercosur is the South American trade bloc (Southern Common Market) whose main founding members are Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. An EU–Mercosur trade agreement — which the story says may be approved and signed soon — would reduce tariffs and open markets on both sides, affecting agricultural and industrial trade flows and therefore prices and business opportunities relevant to residents and companies in Portugal.
RTP is Portugal’s public broadcaster, Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (Rádio e Televisão de Portugal), which runs national TV, radio channels and online news services and has existed since the 1950s. Its debate mattered because it was the only program bringing all candidates together on a single, widely watched public platform, shaping voter perceptions and media coverage ahead of the vote.
Final jury reports upheld the victory of a Spanish consortium (reported variously as including Iberia's handling arm and Clece/South Spain teams) in the public tender to operate ground‑handling at Lisbon, Porto and Faro airports, while the incumbent SPdH/Menzies signals it will appeal. Coverage highlights the award decision and confirms the administrative record supports the jury's choice, but two outlets emphasise different lead partners in the winning bid. Travellers and airport workers should watch for possible legal challenges and operational changes if carriers switch providers.
Ground handling covers the on-the-ground services airlines need at airports — check‑in, baggage handling, aircraft turnaround services (refuelling, cleaning), passenger boarding assistance and cargo handling. Ground‑handling licences determine which companies provide these services at airports like Lisbon, Porto and Faro, so tender outcomes affect service quality, potential delays, staff jobs and airline costs.
Marques Mendes again urged supporters to believe in advancing to the second round. The candidate finishes his campaign with a rally and a youth event in Lisbon.
The EU–Mercosur agreement will create clear winners and losers in agriculture: EU wine and olive oil producers stand to gain improved access and competitive opportunities, while beef, rice, sugar and honey are likely to face the greatest pressure from increased imports and tariff concessions. Farmers warn of 'unfair competition' and say small family farms risk bankruptcy unless safeguard clauses are rigorously enforced, with transparent monitoring, clear trigger mechanisms and targeted support measures. The agreement therefore raises political and policy questions about enforcement, compensation and the protection of vulnerable rural sectors.
Portuguese exports to the four Mercosur countries amount to just 1.3% of the country’s total, with Brazil alone representing 95% of that small share. With a market of nearly 300 million people, Portuguese business leaders view the bloc as largely unexplored terrain offering significant scope for export diversification, new investments and deeper trade ties — particularly beyond Brazil — but realising this opportunity will require targeted commercial strategies and stronger economic engagement across Mercosur members.
Many emigrants are effectively disenfranchised because presidential voting is strictly in person, forcing citizens abroad to travel hundreds of kilometres to reach polling stations. As a result, abstention among the diaspora consistently exceeds 90%. The practical burdens—time, cost and mobility—raise equity and representation concerns, skew electoral participation towards residents and those with resources to travel, and may distort mandates. The situation highlights a policy trade‑off between electoral integrity and accessibility and strengthens arguments for reforms such as postal ballots, expanded consular voting, secure electronic options or mobile polling. Any reform would need to weigh logistical complexity, security and public trust against the democratic imperative to include citizens abroad.
Opinion coverage outlines how the DORA law could shift liability for digital fraud between banks and customers, spotlighting a policy debate on who should absorb online‑fraud costs. The piece argues the new rules may force banks to change indemnity practices and could alter customer protections depending on the final implementation. Online banking users and small businesses that accept digital payments should watch for regulatory clarifications that may affect fraud liability.
The Development Bank has budgeted €4 billion in guarantees to finance construction, refurbishment and support for housing cooperatives aimed at delivering more affordable homes, according to reporting on the plan. Observers note the measure fills a recent policy gap after a year with few sector‑specific supports and is intended to leverage private lending. Those looking for affordable purchase or cooperative housing should monitor forthcoming programme details and application windows.
The Development Bank in Portugal refers to the state-backed development institution, Banco Português de Fomento (Portuguese Development Bank), which provides financing tools, guarantees and co-investment for strategic public-interest projects. In the housing context it can issue guarantees and support loans for construction or refurbishment of affordable homes and for housing cooperatives, so budgeted sums from the bank directly affect affordable housing schemes.
Economist João Rodrigues de Santos warns that a public guarantee scheme is encouraging young people to take on mortgages with high repayments and minimal financial headroom, just as Portugal faces major international uncertainty. With wages among the third‑worst in the EU, the end of pandemic-era supports and the prospect of rising interest rates, many borrowers — including first-time buyers and expats — are exposed to rapid financial distress. The combination of weak income growth, a heated property market and policy incentives to lend underestimates downside risks; the commentator argues for tighter underwriting, better safety nets and targeted borrower support to reduce systemic vulnerability.
Update: The economist reiterated in a CNN Portugal piece that the public guarantee is actively pushing young buyers into mortgages with high repayments and little buffer amid heightened international uncertainty. He highlighted that the withdrawal of pandemic-era supports and the prospect of rising interest rates mean many borrowers — notably first-time buyers and expatriates — could rapidly fall into financial distress, strengthening his call for stricter underwriting standards and targeted safety nets to contain systemic risk.
A press roundup reporting an increase in foreign doctors in Portugal — though not being brought into the SNS (Portuguese National Health Service) — and coverage that Spain is acting as a stumbling block to Mário Centeno’s prospects at the European Central Bank (ECB).