Monday, 1 June 2026

Data released by the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation via Pordata shows that children under 10 now make up only 9.8% of Portugal's population, down from 22% in 1975. Portugal is now among the European Union countries with the lowest proportion of children. Additionally, the report highlights that Portuguese children spend an average of 38 hours per week in schools and daycare facilities, one of the highest rates in Europe.

The Governor of the Banco de Portugal (Banco de Portugal or BdP), Álvaro Santos Pereira, has signaled support for an interest rate increase at the upcoming European Central Bank (Banco Central Europeu or ECB) meeting. He emphasized the need for rapid action to counter potential inflationary pressures, noting that while the economy remains resilient, inflation is the primary concern.

Update: Governor signals June rate hike

In a recent interview, Álvaro Santos Pereira further clarified that he favors a rate increase at the June meeting if updated inflation data justifies it. While he does not have a vote on the ECB governing council, he warned that it is better to act sooner rather than later to curb persistent inflationary risks.

Starting July 1, the government will increase the fixed monthly subsidy for each Medical Emergency Post (Posto de Emergência Médica or PEM) managed by fire departments. The payment will rise from €8,760 to €10,800 per ambulance, supporting the Integrated Medical Emergency System (Sistema Integrado de Emergência Médica or SIEM). Health Minister Ana Paula Martins stated this measure prioritizes pre-hospital care, with other protocol-based subsidies to be adjusted for inflation.

The Public Security Police (Polícia de Segurança Pública or PSP) screened approximately 52,000 passengers at national airports this Sunday to ensure compliance with Schengen area regulations. Authorities applied 16 precautionary measures during the process. To manage wait times, which reached up to 60 minutes in Porto and 47 minutes in Lisbon, the government has reinforced human resources at border control points.

Public hospitals are facing a capacity crisis as social admissions—patients who no longer require acute medical care but remain hospitalized due to a lack of social support or nursing home spaces—have increased by 20 percent. Hospital administrators report that over 3,000 beds are currently occupied by these patients, threatening the overall functioning of the National Health Service (Serviço Nacional de Saúde or SNS).

The Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reduced passport fees for citizens living abroad by approximately 50 percent, effective June 1. The new costs are €60 for adults, €40 for minors aged 4 to 18, and €20 for children under 4. This measure aims to align international costs with domestic pricing and assist binational families in maintaining their documentation.

The Directorate-General of Health (Direção-Geral da Saúde or DGS) has revised its clinical guidelines for suspected Ebola and Marburg virus cases. While the risk to Portugal remains very low, the DGS has designated reference hospitals in Lisbon and Porto to manage potential imported cases. The updated procedures emphasize early detection and follow recommendations from the World Health Organization (Organização Mundial da Saúde or OMS) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (Centro Europeu de Prevenção e Controlo de Doenças or ECDC).

The Tax and Customs Authority (Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira or AT) has issued a warning regarding fraudulent emails targeting taxpayers. These messages falsely claim that a tax return requires modification and direct recipients to click malicious links to verify data or make payments. The AT advises that these communications are fake and should be ignored.

More than 150 personnel and five aerial assets are currently fighting a wildfire in the Alfena area of Valongo. The operation, which is part of the broader firefighting efforts now in the Charlie phase, has not yet resulted in house evacuations or road closures.

All votes from the PSD direct elections have been counted. Running unopposed, Luís Montenegro was re-elected for a new two-year term.

The BdP has reduced the maximum debt-to-income ratio (DSTI) for home loans from 50% to 45% to curb high-risk lending. Industry analysts estimate this change could lead to the rejection of 10% to 15% of mortgage applications that would have previously been approved. The government has introduced a public guarantee (Garantia Pública) to help mitigate these impacts for younger buyers.

Fuel prices are expected to decrease by 12 cents per liter for both diesel and petrol between June 1 and June 7. The estimates, provided by the Automobile Club of Portugal (Automóvel Club de Portugal or ACP) based on data from the Directorate-General for Energy and Geology (Direção-Geral de Energia e Geologia or DGEG), may vary by location and gas station.