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The Portugal Brief
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The Portugal Brief

The Portugal Brief

Business

TAP Closes the Sale of Its 49.9% Stake in SPdH Handling to Menzies — €3.2 Billion State Aid Plan Edges Toward Closure as the National Carrier Cuts Its Last Non-Core Equity Tie Ahead of the Privatisation

TAP signed the contracts disposing of its 49.9% stake in SPdH ground-handling to Menzies on 7 May 2026, the last non-core equity tie under the 2021 EU Restructuring Plan covering €3.2 billion in State Aid. Closure subject to regulatory clearances; privatisation moves a step closer.

Economy

Brent Cracks Below $100 to $99.55 on the Trump-Iran Hormuz De-escalation — Portugal's Energy-Shock Unwind Resets the Pump-Price Trajectory, Galp's Downstream Tail-Wind and the IMF Article IV's Fuel-Excise Recommendation

Brent July futures cracked below $100 to $99.55 on Thursday, down 12.5% from Tuesday's $113.54 peak, after Trump paused the Hormuz Project Freedom escort initiative. The unwind resets pump-price trajectories and reframes the IMF Article IV fuel-excise recommendation.

Business

EDP's Q1 2026 Net Profit Falls 12% to €378 Million on a Lower Iberian Wholesale Tape — But Stilwell Lifts Full-Year Guidance 5% to €5.2 Billion EBITDA and €1.3 Billion Profit, and Closes the Door on Miranda Sarmento's Windfall Tax

EDP Q1 2026 net profit fell 12% to €378M on lower Iberian wholesale prices; recurring profit rose 9% to €399M. Stilwell raised 2026 EBITDA guidance 5% to €5.2 billion and net-profit guidance to €1.3 billion. Management closed the door on Miranda Sarmento's windfall tax.

Business

REN's Q1 2026 Net Profit More Than Doubles to €36.2 Million on a Storm-Hit Comparison Base — EBITDA Up 11.1% to €143.2 Million as Chile Contributes, CESE Gas Levy Disappears and Electricity Demand Hits a 14.6 TWh First-Quarter Record

REN booked Q1 2026 net profit of €36.2 million, up 150.7% on the storm-hit Q1 2025 base. EBITDA rose 11.1% to €143.2 million, capex fell 29.9%, and electricity demand hit a 14.6 TWh first-quarter record. CESE-gas elimination added €10M of tax relief; Portgás CESE-2022 ruling added another €4.1M.

INEM

Ministério Público Closes All Six DIAP Inquiries Into Deaths During the November 2024 INEM Strike — Pombal Court Reads 'No Robust Indications' Linking the Response Delay to a 53-Year-Old's Heart Attack in Ansião

The PGR confirmed today that the Ministério Público archived all six DIAP inquiries into deaths during the November 2024 INEM strike — Bragança (×2), Pombal/Ansião, Tondela, Almada and Vendas Novas — closing the criminal channel even after IGAS linked three of those deaths to response delays.