Thursday, 2 July 2026

Portugal is bracing for a severe heatwave with temperatures expected to reach 47ºC in some areas, prompting the Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere (Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera or IPMA) to issue red alerts for Lisbon, Setúbal, Leiria, and Coimbra. The government has warned of high mortality risks and extreme fire danger, urging citizens to follow all safety instructions. Municipalities are now implementing emergency measures to protect vulnerable populations as the country faces these exceptional weather conditions.

Update: Red alerts expand as heatwave intensifies across Portugal

The red heat warning will extend to Santarém, Portalegre, Évora, and Beja starting Thursday, with further regions including Porto, Braga, and Aveiro joining the alert list on Friday. Minister of Internal Administration Luís Neves described the conditions as a potential powder keg, urging extreme caution as high temperatures and strong winds are expected to persist until at least July 15. Meanwhile, the Lisbon City Council has prepared two pavilions, Casal Vistoso and Manuel Castelo Branco, to serve as emergency shelters for vulnerable residents.

The Social Security Institute (Instituto da Segurança Social or ISS) has suspended disability pension payments to 182 beneficiaries following an audit and a criminal investigation in Benavente. Authorities suspect a fraudulent scheme involving medical professionals who allegedly validated false disability claims, potentially saving the state 18.5 million euros. The Judicial Police (Polícia Judiciária or PJ) has launched an operation into the case, which reportedly involves several doctors.

New data from the National Statistics Institute (Instituto Nacional de Estatística or INE) shows the foreign population in Portugal has doubled since 2020, now accounting for 14% of the country's 11.4 million inhabitants. While the Social Democratic Party (Partido Social Democrata or PSD) is calling for parliamentary hearings to discuss the impact on public services, experts note that immigration has been a vital engine for economic growth and social security sustainability. Portugal currently ranks as the tenth country with the most foreign residents in the European Union.

Galp expects its new Innovation District project, located on the site of the former Matosinhos refinery, to generate approximately 100,000 jobs. The development is projected to contribute roughly two billion euros annually to the Portuguese economy over the next 30 years. Construction is expected to transform the industrial site into a major hub for economic activity.

Prime Minister Luís Montenegro officially presented Amália, a new artificial intelligence model developed entirely in Portuguese. The government has increased the total investment in this project to seven million euros, emphasizing the importance of a national AI strategy. While the model is currently in a testing phase, officials intend to make it available to public administration entities by the end of the year.

The Secretary of State for Social Security announced a structural review of the family allowance system aimed at reducing poverty. As part of this initiative, the government will extend automatic benefit payments to include single-parent families, foreign nationals, and separated parents. This policy change is part of a broader effort to streamline social support for families across Portugal.

Minister of Health Ana Paula Martins stated that maintaining the current network of 168 hospital emergency departments is becoming increasingly difficult due to a lack of human resources. She noted that even with a significant increase in staff, the current structure cannot guarantee clinical safety. This assessment highlights ongoing challenges within the National Health Service (Serviço Nacional de Saúde or SNS).