ECO reports the Bar Association proposed that complex, high‑profile trials will now have substitute court‑appointed lawyers — effectively assigning two appointed defenders as backups. The measure was presented after issues in recent high-profile cases and is intended to ensure continuous legal representation during lengthy proceedings. Defendants and legal observers should note possible changes in courtroom procedure and representation; the Bar Association (Ordem dos Advogados) is leading the proposal.

A police officer previously implicated in torture had access to unauthorised ammunition from batches not assigned to the PSP; these rounds were untraceable to the force and could facilitate serious firearms offences. The case exposes weaknesses in ammunition control, record-keeping and oversight within the PSP, increasing public safety risks and underscoring the need for stricter inventory procedures, forensic tracing and accountability measures.

The presidential campaign skirted constitutional debate, focusing on policy and partisan positioning more suited to a head-of-government race than a head-of-state contest. António José Seguro — the Socialist-backed candidate — presents himself as the moderate alternative and argues the Constitution need not be revised, only respected; meanwhile Luís Montenegro will run as his party’s candidate. The piece argues the Republic needs a president who acts as a moderator, respects institutional limits and upholds the separation of powers.

The Court of Appeal has ruled that former banker Ricardo Salgado must stand trial in the BESA case, rejecting defence requests to suspend or extinguish the proceedings on health grounds. Judges dismissed calls for a new medical examination and ordered the criminal process to continue, marking another defeat for Salgado’s defence team. The decision revives a high‑profile financial trial tied to the collapse of Banco Espírito Santo’s group entities; those tracking Portugal’s banking scandals and investor litigation should note the case will proceed to trial.

A proposal to create 'Social Golden Visas' — a fast-track residency pathway modelled on investor golden visas but targeted at people with urgent social needs. Analytically, the policy could deliver rapid legal protection and access to services for vulnerable migrants and expats, but it requires clear eligibility criteria, safeguards against abuse, and alignment with broader immigration and welfare systems to avoid unintended consequences.

A Lisbon Administrative and Tax Court ruled in favour of Banco de Portugal in a test case brought by international funds (including names reported such as BlackRock and PIMCO) challenging the BES resolution, dismissing compensation claims that exceeded €2 billion. The ruling clears the central bank of the claims in this case and reduces a legal overhang for regulators and public finances, though other suits may persist. For expats in finance or holding Portuguese-linked securities, the decision matters for market confidence and signals lower immediate risk of a large central-bank payout related to BES.

The piece analyses rhetoric and policies that treat any measure as acceptable in the fight against immigration. It considers how such an approach can erode legal safeguards, bypass due process and civil rights, and normalise discriminatory or ad hoc enforcement under the guise of national policy. The article argues for clearer legal frameworks, independent oversight and rights-based reforms to balance legitimate border and public-order concerns with rule-of-law protections.

A proposed measure in a housing-supply package due for a parliamentary vote this Friday would make the absence of a required licence a ground for invalidating property sales. Analytically, the change could introduce significant legal uncertainty for buyers, sellers, lenders and conveyancers, risk delaying transactions and cooling market activity unless clear transitional rules and enforcement guidance are set out. Stakeholders will be watching for details on compliance requirements, liability allocation and any safeguards to avoid unintended disruption to the housing market.

President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has promulgated the government’s health reform while formally requesting improvements to three related decree-laws. His interventions focus on the decree-law that centralises emergency services regionally and on the new regime for hiring locum doctors, where he identified unclear requirements and potential incompatibilities. The request for clarification signals legal and policy concerns that could prompt amendments, highlighting tensions between centralised emergency planning and the need for a flexible medical workforce.

Companies are increasingly sensitive to competition issues as competition law enters a phase of expectation and apparent transformation, according to Sara M. Rodrigues, senior associate and co-ordinator of Eversheds Sutherland’s Competition, Trade and Foreign Investment Department. Rodrigues warns that investigations have ongoing consequences and that regulators — and firms — must recognise that processes do not end with the initial investigation conclusion, heightening the need for robust compliance, legal preparedness and attention to reform and enforcement trends.

This analysis examines how demands for transparency from presidential hopefuls in the run-up to the 18 January election have become a tactical weapon between rivals. It explores the tension between legitimate public interest in candidates’ backgrounds and the risk of intrusive exposure of private life, reviews the legal and ethical boundaries, and argues for clearer, proportionate rules and safeguards to balance accountability, privacy and fair campaigning.

An analytical update on the protracted Sócrates trial, framed as a slow-motion courtroom drama punctuated by unexpected or seemingly choreographed incidents that lend a surreal air to proceedings. Journalist Luís Rosa outlines how procedural delays, political overtones and episodic disruptions have complicated the legal narrative, raising broader questions about the judiciary’s capacity to deliver timely justice and the need for legal and policy reform to protect public trust. The piece examines implications for corruption cases and systemic reform in Portugal’s judicial and political spheres.

Maria de Fátima Carioca argues that Portugal needs a substantial overhaul of its labour legislation, saying flexibilisation of labour relations is unavoidable but must not undermine social protections. She warns the proposed new law is not a magic wand for boosting wages — structural reform is required alongside measures to safeguard workers. Her remarks come as the Government prepares a wide-ranging review of labour rules and the social safety net.

Justice is a central theme in the campaign of the five leading presidential candidates ahead of the 18 January election. Proposals range from Luís Marques Mendes’s call for structural reform, faster proceedings and cross‑institutional pacts to modernise courts, to competing ideas on statutes of limitations and the scope of presidential intervention in judicial matters. The debate frames trade‑offs between efficiency and safeguards, and highlights the need for parliamentary and judicial buy‑in to implement meaningful legal and procedural change.

El Nacional reports that Donald Trump pressed Venezuela’s interim government for total control of the country’s oil resources — a demand with clear geopolitical and economic consequences that raises questions about sovereignty, access to revenues and the role of external actors in a fragile political transition. Separately, Jornal Público’s analysis shows that between 2019 and 2024 some 75 per cent of drivers who died with alcohol in their system had blood-alcohol levels meeting the threshold for a criminal offence, spotlighting enforcement gaps, road-safety policy failures and the need for improved prevention and data collection. Taken together, the items illustrate linked governance challenges: contested control over strategic resources on one hand, and systemic public‑safety and criminal‑justice issues on the other.

The Portuguese president says he will soon sign into law the legislative measures for the National Health Service (SNS) that were returned to the Government for reconsideration.

Jornal de Notícias reports that at least 108 people were intentionally murdered in 2025, marking the highest number of homicides since 2018. Separately, the President of the Republic returned three decree-laws to the Government that sought to implement reforms in the health sector, a move with legal and political implications for emergency services, public safety and ongoing healthcare policy changes. These developments highlight rising concerns about violent crime alongside contested attempts to reshape healthcare governance.

Live update (3h): President Marcelo has returned several decree-laws (diplomas) on the health sector to the Government, asking for improved formulations rather than vetoing the measures outright. The Government says it will identify opportunities to refine the texts and will not abandon the reform agenda; the move delays implementation and creates scope for legal, political and technical adjustments to the planned healthcare reforms.