Infrastructure: Government policy news in Portugal

The Assembly of the Republic has approved in principle a bill requiring the use of helmets for riders of electric scooters and e-bikes. The proposal, introduced by the PSD, also mandates the use of reflective gear during low-visibility conditions. The bill now heads to the committee stage, where details regarding enforcement and potential fines ranging from 30 to 300 euros will be further discussed.

The Portuguese Communist Party (Partido Comunista Português or PCP) has proposed fixing the price of intermodal transport passes at 20 euros for the Lisbon and Porto metropolitan areas, as well as other intermunicipal communities. The party argues that the state must provide the necessary funding to ensure this price point, particularly as the government introduces new rail-only passes.

The government has requested further information from ANA – Aeroportos de Portugal regarding the expansion strategy for the New Lisbon Airport (Novo Aeroporto de Lisboa or NAL). Officials are seeking justification for the current terminal configuration and are pushing to accelerate the project's timeline, which is currently scheduled for completion in 2037.

The government has extended the deadline for the privatization of the national airline, TAP, until the end of the year. This extension allows for three weeks of final negotiations with the two remaining bidders, Air France-KLM and Lufthansa. The executive aims to secure improved binding proposals before finalizing the sale.

President of the Republic António José Seguro stated this Saturday that pensions in Portugal are sacred. During a public appearance in Viana do Castelo, he clarified that any legal changes to the pension system are the sole responsibility of the government or parliament, rather than the presidency.

The government has launched the first funding notices from the Mobility and Transport Fund, allocating nearly two million euros to urban logistics, school mobility, and taxi decarbonization. Overseen by Minister Miguel Pinto Luz, the initiative aims to promote sustainable transport solutions and improve safety in urban areas.

Municipalities affected by storms earlier this year can now apply for the Municipal Emergency Fund (Fundo de Emergência Municipal or FEM) to cover up to 60% of infrastructure repair costs. Applications remain open until November 30 for local authorities in areas where a state of calamity was declared. Some councils have previously resorted to bank loans to manage the damage while awaiting this state support.

The government has announced a 500,000 euro support package for radio stations damaged by Storm Kristin earlier this year. Applications for the funding, which is part of the Portugal Transformation, Recovery and Resilience programme (Plano de Recuperação e Resiliência or PRR), are open until August 26th, with 300,000 euros specifically earmarked for local and regional broadcasters.

Minister-Assistant and for State Reform Gonçalo Matias announced that Portugal will move its target for 100% digital public services forward to 2029. Originally planned for 2030, the government aims to reach this goal early through an intensified digitization effort. Officials emphasize that this transition is intended to improve efficiency and humanize public service delivery.

The Almada Municipal Water and Sanitation Services (Serviços Municipalizados de Água e Saneamento or SMAS) brought a new groundwater borehole into operation this Sunday. The infrastructure, which was completed ahead of schedule, increases production capacity by 60 m³/h to help mitigate recent supply constraints and consumption spikes.

Update: Minister Neves addresses contractor hiring controversy

Minister of Internal Administration Luís Neves has responded to public controversy regarding his hiring of a contractor for private work on his property. The contractor had previously held contracts with the Judiciary Police (Polícia Judiciária or PJ) during Neves's tenure as its director. Neves denied any irregularities but admitted he would have handled the situation differently today.

The Portuguese Communist Party (Partido Comunista Português or PCP) has submitted a resolution to the Assembly of the Republic demanding the installation of new ATMs in parishes located more than five kilometres from existing banking services. The party is also seeking government clarification on the status of the Multibanco Social project.

The government has appointed former PSD deputy Luís Leite Ramos to lead the newly created agency for the Portugal Transformation, Recovery and Resilience (Portugal Transformação, Recuperação e Resiliência or PTRR) plan. The PTRR is a nine-year, 22.6 billion euro investment program designed to improve national infrastructure and increase resilience against climate-related disasters like the floods and storms experienced earlier in 2026.

The government approved the National Road Safety Strategy this Wednesday, aiming to reduce deaths and serious injuries on Portuguese roads by 50% by 2030. The long-delayed plan, which has been in development since 2021, sets an ultimate target of zero road fatalities by 2050.

The government has approved an expenditure of up to 4.5 million euros to demilitarise the Alcochete Shooting Range. This process is a necessary step to clear the site for the construction of the new Luís de Camões Airport, which will serve the Lisbon region.

Prime Minister Luís Montenegro has admitted that Portugal may suspend the new European border control system during critical hours to prevent national security and economic damage. The government plans to deploy over 300 additional police officers by the end of June and is currently reviewing more than 20 service contracts related to the system's technology and maintenance.

General Paulo Viegas Nunes has been elected as the new chairman of the board for the Integrated System of Emergency and Security Networks (Sistema Integrado de Redes de Emergência e Segurança de Portugal or SIRESP). He is set to take office on Monday, returning to a role he previously held from 2022 to 2024.

Prime Minister Luís Montenegro expressed dissatisfaction with ongoing border control delays at Portuguese airports, particularly in Lisbon, and warned that the government may suspend the collection of biometric data if the situation does not improve. While the government refuses to suspend the new European Entry/Exit System (Entry/Exit System or EES) during the summer, Minister of Infrastructure Miguel Pinto Luz promised service improvements next month following the completion of expansion works in the arrivals area.

Update: Police reinforcement planned for airport border control

The government will deploy 360 additional police officers to airport borders starting July 20th to address long wait times. Additionally, Lisbon airport will open new manual control booths on May 29th and increase the number of automated gates to manage passenger flow.

The government has unveiled a plan to replace the current Integrated System of Emergency and Security Networks of Portugal (Sistema Integrado de Redes de Emergência e Segurança de Portugal or SIRESP) with a new, hybrid critical communications network. The transition, which includes moving from the existing system to a 4G/5G-capable infrastructure, is expected to take over a decade and cost up to 800 million euros. A government-appointed working group also recommended creating a specialized public entity to manage the new state network.

The Ministry of Internal Administration has admitted to IT constraints affecting border control operations at Lisbon airport. While officials acknowledge that some passenger data is not being collected, they maintain that these technical issues do not pose a security risk to the country.

The Minister of Internal Administration has announced the reactivation of the Traffic Brigade within the National Republican Guard (Guarda Nacional Republicana or GNR), nearly 20 years after its initial disbandment. The move is part of a broader government effort to address high road accident rates and will involve a new traffic model aimed at improving enforcement and road safety. While some associations welcome the return of the specialized unit, others have raised questions about its historical effectiveness.

Parliament has approved amendments to the new social mobility subsidy model for air travel between the mainland and the Azores and Madeira. The Social Democratic Party (Partido Social Democrata or PSD) voted against the measures and remained isolated, while the PS and Chega joined forces to pass the changes in a final global vote.

President of the Republic António José Seguro has begun his first Open Presidency, a five-day tour to inspect storm-affected regions in central Portugal. During his visits, he criticized the government for delays in distributing financial support to residents and businesses, urging Prime Minister Luís Montenegro to accelerate the process.

Around 51,000 people remain without phone or internet communications across 33 municipalities after recent severe weather, the Mission Structure (Estrutura de Missão) reports, while authorities have recorded about 139,500 claims totalling roughly €505 million. The government says it is processing thousands of requests for income support, home recovery and loans as repair work continues. Those affected should follow municipal and central-government notices about temporary support and restoration timetables.

The Lisbon City Council has begun on‑site topographic surveys, geological tests and design work to stabilise a slope in the Graça neighbourhood after a weather‑related landslide, Dinheiro Vivo and RTP report. The council said it is preparing a construction procedure for slope stabilisation and improved drainage and has moved residents while work continues. Residents in Graça should follow the Câmara Municipal de Lisboa (Lisbon City Council) notices and expect site assessments and temporary access restrictions.

The government has approved preventive measures for the proposed new Lisbon airport that cover 71,000 hectares across seven municipalities, ECO reports. From Saturday, urban operations in Alcochete, Benavente, Coruche, Montemor‑o‑Novo, Montijo, Palmela and Vendas Novas now require a positive opinion from the National Civil Aviation Authority (Autoridade Nacional da Aviação Civil or ANAC). Property developers, homeowners and municipal planners in the affected areas should check whether planned works now need ANAC sign-off.

A Público podcast and reporting say the storm has exposed deeper, long-standing problems in Portugal's rail network: the Linha do Oeste could be closed for around nine months while the Linha de Cascais is operating at about one-third capacity. The coverage contrasts relatively fast motorway repairs with slower rail recovery, notes CP's return to losses, and warns of lengthy service disruption and repair costs. Commuters and travellers should expect prolonged changes to schedules and check train operator updates before travel.