Latest news and stories about government policy in Coimbra, Portugal for expats and residents.
António José Seguro continues his Open Presidency in the Coimbra district, focusing on agricultural engagement and infrastructure visits following meetings in Tomar.
In Coimbra, local authorities have evacuated three thousand residents due to the imminent risk of dyke collapse, as persistent rain is expected in the North and Centre regions of Portugal. This article provides real-time updates on the weather conditions affecting the area.
At a campaign dinner in Lousã (Coimbra), presidential candidate Luís Marques Mendes presented a deliberate profile of a ‘firm but calm’ Presidency in Belém, arguing that steadiness and measured leadership are what the office requires. Positioning himself as a reassuring, experienced alternative, Mendes signalled an appeal to centrist and undecided voters and claimed he is in ‘pole position’ to reach the second round — an implicit campaign strategy to consolidate support ahead of a likely two‑stage contest. The remarks underscore a campaign focused on stability, competence and broadening appeal rather than polarising rhetoric.
The Constitution is not a dead artefact or a document to be archived in a museum display case. It is alive, and it is precisely this vitality that makes it indispensable. At a time when hasty rhetoric about its replacement or exhaustion is multiplying, it is important to reaffirm the essential: the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic remains one of the most solid pillars of our democracy. Pedro Costa Gonçalves, Director of the Faculty of Law at the University of Coimbra, notes that recent commemorations of the 50th anniversary of the Constitution highlighted that while it can and should be revised, it must not be discarded. There is a crucial difference between updating and replacing, or between perfecting and dismantling. Recognizing the need for specific revisions reinforces the Constitution, which has demonstrated a remarkable capacity for adaptation over five decades. The Faculty of Law of Coimbra marked the occasion with a two-volume collective work reflecting on the past, present, and future of the Fundamental Law, serving as a reminder that the Constitution remains an object of study and commitment. Ultimately, a solid democracy is not built from a void, but on the foundations it has managed to erect and preserve.
Aguiar-Branco highlighted the contribution of the Coimbra school to the pluralism of debate, but warned that “democracy cannot be taken for granted,” during a session commemorating the institution's 50th anniversary.
Aguiar-Branco was speaking at the closing of the opening session of the conference 'The Coimbra Faculty of Law and the Constitution'.
According to the mayor, this is a 7.2 million euro project that a small municipality in the interior of the Coimbra district would not have the capacity to undertake with its own budget.
In the Central region, 1,600 applications for support to rebuild homes destroyed by the bad weather were rejected.
The apology was made this afternoon during a session of the Coimbra Municipal Assembly
The Penacova City Council will take out a short-term loan of one million euros to cope with delays in reimbursement payments from the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR).
During a visit to Coimbra, Inês Sousa Real also took the opportunity to once again appeal to the Government to deliver, as soon as possible, the support already approved for the populations affected by the storms.
Tipped for the position of judge at the Constitutional Court, Vieira de Andrade denies any contact in that regard and says he was caught by surprise. The PSD is still awaiting the formal departure of José João Abrantes.
The Left Bloc (BE) coordinator, José Manuel Pureza, argued today that the President of the Republic, instead of meeting with social partners, should honour his electoral commitment and indicate that he will veto the labour package.
Local mayors in the region have identified the application of different criteria depending on the area of the Mondego river. According to Luís Paulo Costa, interventions are urgent, and it is necessary to understand if there is funding available.
Maria Lencastre, who became an independent in January, refused to associate her name with the merger process of the municipality's vocational school with an inter-municipal association.
For a certain statist view, freedom of speech deserves protection in newspapers, but digital privacy is treated as a dispensable luxury.
The Regulatory Entity for Social Communication (ERC) has opened an administrative investigation procedure regarding the controversial NewsWhip tool, contracted by the Government's Secretary-General who classifies it as modern clipping, an official source told Lusa. The ERC also revealed that it has opened a similar procedure regarding the case involving the Mayor of Coimbra, ...
João Leal Amado, a professor at the Faculty of Law of the University of Coimbra, is the guest for this episode.
The President of the Assembly of the Republic has scheduled the installation of the independent technical commission on last August's wildfires for the 22nd, with a 60-day mandate, extendable by another 30 days.
Fernando Alexandre pointed out that, although the transfer of responsibilities is going well, “there are still several aspects that need to be improved” in the relationship between municipalities and schools.
André Moz Caldas, a member of the Socialist Party's National Secretariat, stated that the party remains committed to press freedom following Coimbra Mayor Ana Abrunhosa's decision to withdraw confidence in a Lusa journalist. Moz Caldas argued that an individual mayor's actions cannot undermine the party's historical commitment to the press. Additionally, he criticised the government's hiring of the Irish firm NewsWhip for media monitoring, questioning the public interest in a service that ranks journalists by their output and influence. The Journalists' Union, the Liberal Initiative, and the PCP have all condemned Abrunhosa's actions as a violation of press freedom.
At issue are the statements made by the Mayor of Coimbra regarding the work of a Lusa journalist.
In reaction to the Coimbra mayor's withdrawal of confidence in a Lusa journalist, the former mayor and opposition leader accuses Ana Abrunhosa of “violating freedom of the press and the Constitution.”
The mayor accused the reporter of 'lacking truthfulness' and of 'serious and systematic ethical failures', the SJ states in a press release, in which it considers attitudes such as the 'attempt to remove the journalist from covering the municipality' to be 'unacceptable'.
The Liberal Initiative (IL) in Coimbra has condemned Mayor Ana Abrunhosa for publicly attacking a Lusa news agency journalist, calling her behaviour intimidating and a threat to press freedom. The incident occurred after the journalist reported that the Coimbra Cinema House risked losing its licence due to municipal inaction. Abrunhosa publicly questioned the journalist's integrity and suggested he should hand in his press card if he wanted to engage in politics. Both the IL and the PCP have criticised the mayor's actions, while the Lusa news agency's editorial board has issued a formal letter repudiating the mayor's 'unfounded and defamatory' accusations and reaffirming its full confidence in the journalist.
“If the journalist wants to engage in politics, he should hand in his press card,” the mayor accused.
The PCP accused the Mayor of Coimbra, Ana Abrunhosa, of attempting to restrict the free exercise of journalism after she made accusations against Lusa agency journalist João Gaspar, which the party described as showing “traits of arrogance”. The PCP condemned the incident, which occurred during a municipal executive meeting, and expressed full solidarity with the journalist, while the Lusa agency's information board also repudiated the mayor's “unfounded and defamatory” accusations.
The Lusa Agency's editorial board considers the accusations made by the Mayor of Coimbra to be “unreasonable, unfounded, and defamatory.”
António José Seguro attended a lunch with farmers from the Baixo Mondego region, specifically from the municipalities of Soure, Montemor-o-Velho, Coimbra, and Figueira da Foz.
The founder of Doutor Finanças has been accused of sexual and moral harassment and is facing disciplinary proceedings. The Mayor of Coimbra guarantees that municipalities are proceeding with expenses to repair damage from the series of storms and floods without knowing what support they will receive from the Government. Public managers, ...
