Tuesday, 30 June 2026

The Ministry of Environment has ordered the installation of maps at the entrances of beaches in the Algarve and Alentejo regions. These maps will clearly delineate concession areas, safety strips, and free zones to help beachgoers identify where they can place their parasols.

The Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera or IPMA) has issued warnings for a prolonged period of intense, dry heat across the country. Temperatures are expected to reach 43°C in regions such as the Tagus Valley and Alentejo, with yellow and orange warnings in place for several districts including Viana do Castelo, Braga, Porto, and Setúbal.

Despite signs that Euribor rates have peaked and are stabilizing, mortgage holders in Portugal will face higher monthly repayments for contracts reviewed in July. While the pace of rate increases slowed in June, the impact remains a financial concern for many families.

Overtime costs within the National Health Service (Serviço Nacional de Saúde or SNS) reached 468 million euros in 2025, an 11.4% increase from the previous year. A report on the performance of the health service also highlighted that absenteeism remains a significant challenge, with the highest rates recorded in the Estuário do Tejo, Litoral Alentejano, and Médio Ave local health units.

Today marks the final deadline for taxpayers to submit their personal (Imposto sobre o Rendimento das Pessoas Singulares or IRS) and corporate (Imposto sobre o Rendimento das Pessoas Coletivas or IRC) income tax returns. Failure to submit the declaration for the previous year by the end of the day will result in fines starting at 25 euros.

Minister of Education Fernando Alexandre has guaranteed that national exam grading remains on schedule despite reports of technical failures and errors. While the National Association of Directors of Groups and Public Schools (Associação Nacional de Diretores de Agrupamentos e Escolas Públicas or ANDAEP) has rejected responsibility for the issues, the government maintains that no student will be disadvantaged by the new digital classification process.

The Judicial Police (Polícia Judiciária or PJ) and the Spanish Civil Guard have dismantled a human trafficking network focused on labour exploitation. Five suspects were arrested, and two Portuguese victims were rescued after being held in captivity for 30 and 15 years respectively.

The National Association of Payment and Electronic Money Institutions (Associação Nacional de Instituições de Pagamento e Moeda Eletrónica or ANIPE) has warned that the Portuguese crypto-asset market risks paralysis following the end of the transition period for the European Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation on July 1st. The association has requested urgent clarification from the Bank of Portugal (Banco de Portugal) and the Securities Market Commission (Comissão do Mercado de Valores Mobiliários or CMVM) regarding the status of pending authorization processes.

The Social Democratic Party (Partido Social Democrata or PSD) has announced it will summon former Socialist Party (Partido Socialista or PS) officials, including former Minister of Internal Administration José Luís Carneiro, to Parliament. The party accuses the previous government of obscuring immigration realities, following recent data released by the National Statistics Institute (Instituto Nacional de Estatística or INE).

The Braga City Council has voted to suspend shared e-scooter services within the municipality. Operators have been given a 60-day deadline to remove all equipment from the city.

A proposal by Chega to lower the retirement age to 65 years would cost the state approximately 2.5 billion euros, according to recent reports. While the party argues for the change, critics note that the current system is indexed to life expectancy, and reverting to a fixed age could reduce long-term pension sustainability.

The Tax Authority (Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira or AT) has clarified that homeowners who rent out their primary residence before selling it may lose their exemption from personal income tax (Imposto sobre o Rendimento das Pessoas Singulares or IRS) on capital gains. Even if the property remains the owner's registered tax address, the act of placing it on the rental market can disqualify the tax benefit.

The government has confirmed to the International Monetary Fund that there will be no extraordinary reduction in personal income tax (Imposto sobre o Rendimento das Pessoas Singulares or IRS) for 2026. This decision marks a departure from the previous two years, when taxpayers benefited from lower tax withholding rates toward the end of the year.