Wednesday, 21 October 2026

Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas announced that the municipal council has built 1,243 homes from scratch since he took office in 2021, representing 36% of the 3,444 keys handed over across the city. Responding to council questions, Moedas defended his administration's output by contrasting it with previous Socialist Party (Partido Socialista or PS) administrations, which built an average of fewer than 17 homes annually. Moedas also questioned how the PS spent €885 million generated between 2008 and 2021 from municipal property and airport land sales, arguing the funds were not used for housing.

Portugal currently lacks an estimated 300,000 homes to meet residential demand, according to figures from the Bank of Portugal (Banco de Portugal). Central bank governor Álvaro Santos Pereira warned that neither public nor private investment is expanding fast enough to tackle the shortage, following a decade in which Portuguese residential property prices climbed 180%. Real estate executives note that sales volumes are now beginning to moderate after years of rapid expansion fueled by €3.9 billion in foreign investment in 2025.

Lisbon City Council is scheduled to debate a proposal on Wednesday to suspend all shared electric scooters across the capital. The initiative, introduced amid rising complaints over dangerous riding and blocked pedestrian walkways, is expected to pass with backing from Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas and the ruling coalition. Moedas signaled plans in late September to crack down on risky scooter behavior, and the proposal would halt rental operations pending stricter safety regulations.

Applications to protect new inventions in Portugal rose by 36.8% during the first nine months of 2026, according to the National Institute of Industrial Property (Instituto Nacional da Propriedade Industrial or INPI). Inventors submitted 1,093 applications between January and September, compared to 799 during the same period in 2025. The agency, which marks its 50th anniversary this year, reported that the growth follows a record total of 1,170 national filings recorded in 2025.

The government is meeting with trade unions and employers' confederations on Wednesday for Social Dialogue (Concertação Social) negotiations in Lisbon. Talks focus on potential upward revisions to the national minimum wage following the submission of the 2027 state budget proposal. Discussions will also address proposed changes to the Labour Compensation Fund (Fundo de Compensação do Trabalho), which backs employee severance pay mechanisms.

The total value of residential real estate owned by Portuguese families increased by nearly 50% between 2010 and 2025, climbing from €473 billion to €708 billion, according to the Bank of Portugal (Banco de Portugal). Despite the increase in value, property declined slightly as a proportion of total household assets, falling from 54% to 52%. Nominal net household wealth grew 67% over the period, with home mortgage loans continuing to represent the majority of family debt.

More than 60 National Institute of Medical Emergency (Instituto Nacional de Emergência Médica) ambulances are stuck in mechanical workshops without repair orders, according to the pre-hospital emergency technicians union (Sindicato dos Técnicos de Emergência Pré-Hospitalar or STEPH). STEPH warned that failing to repair these vehicles jeopardizes emergency healthcare operations. The union criticized suspected management plans to replace full ambulances with lighter passenger vehicles, stressing that a new ambulance costs upwards of €100,000.

Over half of Portuguese residents, or 53%, relied on borrowed money or credit cards to pay regular household bills over the past six months, according to the European Consumer Payment Report 2025 by Intrum. That proportion rises to 79% among households with below-average incomes. The findings indicate widespread household financial strain driven by persistent living expenses across Portugal.

Portuguese telecommunications providers MEO, NOS, and Vodafone have joined an international initiative to prevent banking fraud through automated number and SIM card verification. The new tools allow financial institutions to check whether a customer's SIM card was recently duplicated before authorizing account access or money transfers. The measure specifically targets SIM-swapping schemes, in which scammers obtain duplicate cards to intercept two-factor SMS verification codes.

Chega leader André Ventura announced that his party will vote against the government's proposed rental bill, warning it would cause sharp rent increases and evictions. Left Bloc (Bloco de Esquerda) and Portuguese Communist Party (Partido Comunista Português or PCP) leaders criticized the move, accusing Chega of reversing its position to exploit recent street demonstrations. Ventura instead proposed an emergency legislative package centered on Personal Income Tax (Imposto sobre o Rendimento das Pessoas Singulares or IRS) relief for housing expenses.

Socialist Party (Partido Socialista or PS) Secretary-General José Luís Carneiro announced that the party intends to abstain on the 2027 State Budget (Orçamento do Estado). Carneiro stated during a visit to Faro that while the budget proposal deserved a vote against based on party convictions, the socialists chose to serve the country and prevent a political impasse. The decision ensures the minority government's fiscal plan can move forward in parliament.