Sunday, 6 September 2026

The ISP (Imposto sobre Produtos Petrolíferos e Energéticos) is Portugal's excise tax on petroleum and energy products, charged as a fixed amount per liter on petrol, diesel, and other fuels. It is one of the main components of fuel prices at the pump, alongside VAT and the carbon tax (Taxa de Carbono).

The government can adjust ISP rates — temporarily or permanently — to influence fuel prices. Rate cuts are a common policy tool to ease cost-of-living pressures on drivers and transport businesses, though they also reduce government revenue.

For consumers, the ISP is significant because even small changes in the per-liter rate translate into noticeable differences at the pump, particularly for diesel users and commercial transport operators.

A red warning is the highest alert level issued by Portugal's weather agency, the Portuguese Institute for the Sea and the Atmosphere (Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera or IPMA), used when conditions pose a very high risk to life and property. Under a red warning authorities may close roads, suspend transport and advise people to avoid coastal and flood‑prone areas, so follow civil protection instructions during the Friday–Saturday storm period.

A district emergency plan (Plano Distrital de Emergência) is a local civil-protection document that sets roles, resources and actions a district will use to prevent and respond to major incidents like floods, storms or wildfires. Municipal and district civil protection authorities prepare and can activate the plan with support from the national emergency agency (Autoridade Nacional de Emergência e Proteção Civil), ordering evacuations, opening shelters, closing roads and coordinating rescue teams. Those in affected districts should follow local instructions, sign up for official alerts and know their nearest shelter and evacuation routes during heavy rain.

• Minister of State and Finance (2024–present)
• Party: Social Democratic Party (PSD), Partido Social Democrata
• Background: Economist, university professor (ISEG)

Joaquim Miranda Sarmento is Portugal's Finance Minister in the AD government led by Luís Montenegro. An economist and professor at ISEG (Lisbon School of Economics & Management), he served as PSD parliamentary group leader before joining the government.

As Finance Minister, he oversees the state budget, tax policy, public debt management, and fiscal relations with the EU. His decisions on tax brackets, IRS withholding tables, housing incentives, and public spending directly affect residents' cost of living and investment climate.

• President of Portugal (since March 9, 2026)
• Party: Independent. Former leader of the Socialist Party (PS), Partido Socialista
• Center-left

António José Martins Seguro (born March 11, 1962, in Penamacor) is a lawyer, political scientist, and the current President of the Portuguese Republic, inaugurated on March 9, 2026 after winning the two-round presidential election in January–February 2026.

Career: He led Socialist Youth (1990–1994), served as MEP (1999–2001), was Minister Adjunct to PM António Guterres (2001–2002), and led the PS parliamentary group (2004–2005). Elected PS Secretary-General in 2011 with 68%, he led the opposition during Portugal's bailout era. In 2014, António Costa defeated him in party primaries by a landslide, prompting Seguro's resignation and a decade-long retreat from politics. He returned in 2025, launching the movement UPortugal and announcing his presidential candidacy in June. He received official PS backing in October 2025 and won the presidency in February 2026.

Political philosophy: Seguro positions himself as representing a "modern and moderate" left, advocating financial responsibility while opposing austerity. As President, he has emphasized institutional trust, efficient governance, and a collaborative relationship with the government while maintaining rigorous constitutional oversight.

If you need emergency care and a local ED is understaffed, call 112 for life‑threatening situations or contact the national health triage line (SNS 24) for urgent guidance; the operator can direct you to the nearest hospital with capacity or arrange an ambulance. As an expat, also consider local private hospitals or clinics if available and keep your health insurance details and ID ready to speed up admission.

The PRR (Plano de Recuperação e Resiliência) is Portugal's national program under the EU's NextGenerationEU recovery fund, worth approximately €22.2 billion — roughly €16.6 billion in grants plus €5.6 billion in loans. Approved in 2021, it funds reforms and investments across housing, digital transition, climate action, healthcare, and public administration.

Payments from the European Commission are tied to specific milestones and targets. Missed deadlines or incomplete reforms can delay disbursements, affecting public works, infrastructure projects, and social programs that depend on PRR funding.

The PRR is one of the largest investment programs in Portugal's recent history and touches areas from affordable housing construction to hospital modernization, school renovation, and green energy transition. Progress is monitored by the European Commission through regular reviews.

The General Confederation of the Portuguese Workers (CGTP – Confederação Geral dos Trabalhadores Portugueses) is Portugal’s largest trade-union confederation, grouping most unions in manufacturing, public services and many other sectors.

Founded clandestinely in 1970 as “Intersindical” under the dictatorship, it emerged publicly after the 1974 Carnation Revolution and was legalised in 1975. It has been central to virtually all major labour struggles since then, from defending collective bargaining and the 40‑hour week to leading general strikes against austerity and labour‑law rollbacks.

CGTP is historically close to the Portuguese Communist Party and has a class‑struggle, anti‑neoliberal profile, strongly critical of EU and government policies seen as undermining workers’ rights. It favours grassroots mobilisation and strikes over compromise, often refusing national social‑pact deals that the more centrist UGT is willing to sign.

In today’s Portugal, CGTP remains a key actor in wage bargaining, labour‑law debates and national protests; together with UGT it called the first joint general strike in years in December 2025, signalling its continuing capacity to organise mass action.