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The Ministerio do Trabalho e Seguranca Social tower in Lisbon

Portugal's Switch to a Full-Career Pension Formula Is Cutting New Pensions by About 10%, the Government's Green Book Shows

Portugal's own Green Book on social security shows pensions worked out under the post-2007 full-career formula come out about 10% lower than the old best-years rules — and the gap widens with every retiring cohort. What it means for anyone building a career in Portugal.

The Portugal Brief 11 Aug 2026

A traditional Lisbon apartment building with an azulejo-tiled facade and small balconies

Claiming the Under-35 IMT and Stamp Duty Exemption in Portugal

The 330,539 euro full exemption threshold, the 660,982 euro partial band, who qualifies, and how to claim it.

The Portugal Brief 11 Aug 2026

Diners at an outdoor cafe esplanade at a Lisbon miradouro overlooking the city's rooftops

American Express's $700 Million Purchase of TheFork Reaches Portugal's Competition Regulator

American Express is paying about US$700 million (€600 million) to buy TheFork from Tripadvisor, and Portugal's Competition Authority is now reviewing the deal. TheFork lists roughly 3,900 restaurants in Portugal — 137 of them in the Michelin Guide — making it the country's dominant booking app.

The Portugal Brief 11 Aug 2026

Golden-hour panorama of the city of Braga in northern Portugal seen from a hilltop viewpoint

Braga Turns a Derelict Soap Factory Into Portugal's Largest Public Student Residence, 786 Beds From €94 a Month

The Residência Universitária Confiança opens in September inside a rehabilitated soap factory, adding 786 subsidised beds from €94 a month for scholarship students, bills included — even as Portugal's national student-housing plan runs years behind, with barely a quarter of promised beds finished.

The Portugal Brief 11 Aug 2026

The EU's New Packaging Rules Reach Portugal This Week, Starting With a Ban on 'Forever Chemicals' in Food Packaging

The EU's New Packaging Rules Reach Portugal This Week, Starting With a Ban on 'Forever Chemicals' in Food Packaging

The EU's sweeping Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation becomes applicable this week, and the first tangible change is a restriction on PFAS 'forever chemicals' in the wrapping that touches your food.

The Portugal Brief 11 Aug 2026

After a Swedish Visitor Is Shot in Lisbon's Baixa, the Government Steps Up Downtown Policing

After a Swedish Visitor Is Shot in Lisbon's Baixa, the Government Steps Up Downtown Policing

A daylight shooting on the edge of Lisbon's busiest tourist streets has prompted the government and police to reinforce a downtown security operation that has been running since June.

The Portugal Brief 11 Aug 2026

Environmental Regulators Clear the First Porto Section of the Lisbon–Porto High-Speed Line, Unblocking Construction

Environmental Regulators Clear the First Porto Section of the Lisbon–Porto High-Speed Line, Unblocking Construction

The Portuguese Environment Agency has validated the execution project for the first stretch out of Porto, one of the last permitting hurdles before builders can start work on the country's long-delayed high-speed railway.

The Portugal Brief 11 Aug 2026

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