Saturday, 30 May 2026

Four individuals detained in Operation Imergente have been released under identity and residence requirements. Meanwhile, the Public Prosecutor's Office (Ministério Público or MP) has requested pre-trial detention for four defendants in the separate 'Águas Turvas' corruption investigation involving the municipal company Águas de Gaia.

Update: PS councillors named as formal suspects in Imergente case

Two Lisbon City Council members from the Socialist Party (Partido Socialista or PS) have been named as formal suspects (arguidos) in the ongoing Operation Imergente. This development follows broader investigations into municipal contracts, prompting PS Secretary-General José Luís Carneiro to demand irreproachable ethical conduct from party officeholders.

The Social Democratic Party (Partido Social Democrata or PSD), the Socialist Party (Partido Socialista or PS), and Chega have submitted a joint list of four candidates to fill vacancies at the Constitutional Court (Tribunal Constitucional or TC). The election is scheduled for June 12 and requires a two-thirds majority in Parliament to pass.

The National Maritime Authority (Autoridade Marítima Nacional or AMN) has closed the Dragão Vermelho beach in Costa da Caparica to swimming after a 24-year-old man drowned on Thursday. The area will remain restricted until artificial sand replenishment is completed to address ongoing safety concerns.

The government has published an ordinance in the Diário da República reducing the temporary discount on the Tax on Petroleum Products (Imposto sobre os Produtos Petrolíferos or ISP). The adjustment, effective next week, lowers the discount by 1.9 cents for diesel and 1.8 cents for petrol, reflecting expected market price decreases.

The Ministry of Internal Administration (Ministério da Administração Interna or MAI) clarified that the Public Security Police (Polícia de Segurança Pública or PSP) may temporarily suspend biometric data collection at airports for up to six hours when necessary to manage queues. This follows reports of increased capacity and electronic entry machines at major terminals.

The European Commission has confirmed that Portugal may partially suspend the collection of biometric data at airports during peak periods to ensure passenger flow, a measure permitted under EU law until September. The Portuguese government reported a 50% reduction in border control waiting times at Lisbon's Humberto Delgado Airport following an increase in staff and technical resources. Brussels maintains that the recent congestion issues are not related to the EU's Entry/Exit System (EES).

Update: Portugal authorized to suspend biometric border checks

The European Commission has officially authorized Portugal to implement partial, temporary suspensions of biometric data collection at airports when necessary to prevent excessive queues. This measure is permitted under the existing Entry/Exit System (EES) regulations through September, and the government has begun notifying Brussels of specific instances where these suspensions are applied.

The PSD has agreed to support the PS nomination of Luísa Neto for the position of Ombudsman (Provedor de Justiça). The parliamentary vote is set for June 12, aiming to fill a vacancy that has persisted since the start of the current legislative term.

Homeowners with variable-rate mortgages in Portugal will see monthly payments increase by up to 60 euros starting in June. The rise reflects ongoing adjustments in interest rate benchmarks affecting housing credit costs.

A woman died in Palmela after waiting over an hour for an emergency medical vehicle. The union representing pre-hospital emergency technicians reported that such delays have become more frequent in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area and the Algarve in recent weeks.

The Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has summoned the Russian ambassador in Lisbon to demand explanations following a drone strike in Galati, Romania. The attack, which hit a residential building near the Ukrainian border and left two people injured, has been condemned by the government as a serious incident affecting North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) territory.

Portugal's public accounts shifted from a surplus in March to a deficit of 1.548 billion euros by the end of April. According to data from the Budgetary Entity, this negative balance represents a significant decline compared to the same period last year, driven by reduced revenue in central and regional administrations. While tax revenue saw a modest 1.2% increase, overall public expenditure grew by 6.9%.

The government has approved the creation of a Single Social Benefit (Prestação Social Única or PSU) to consolidate 13 existing support schemes, including the Social Insertion Income (Rendimento Social de Inserção or RSI). The new policy requires working-age recipients to perform up to 15 hours of community work per week, with non-compliance resulting in the loss of benefits. Former Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho noted that the measure originated from a proposal by the previous socialist administration, while several left-wing parties have criticized the mandatory social work requirement.

Two French children, aged three and five, who were abandoned by their parents in Alcácer do Sal last week, have returned to France. The Setúbal Judicial Court confirmed that the repatriation was organized through cooperation between Portuguese and French authorities to ensure the children's well-being. The case remains under investigation following the initial discovery of the minors alone on a road.

Prosecutor-General Amadeu Guerra appeared before a parliamentary committee on Thursday to deny that the Public Prosecution Service (Ministério Público) times its investigations and searches to influence politics. Addressing questions regarding recent raids on the PS, Guerra also highlighted that the service is struggling with a lack of resources, including staffing and technological support, which he described as a near-paralysis of the system.