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A red-and-white Canadair CL-415 water-bomber aircraft flying low over a forested mountainside during aerial firefighting

Portugal Triggers the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and Asks Spain and Morocco for Water-Bombers as 46 Wildfires Burn in a Red-Alert Heatwave

With almost the entire mainland at very high or maximum fire risk and temperatures above 40C, Portugal activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism on Friday and asked Spain and Morocco for Canadair water-bombers. Some 46 rural fires are burning; the Vouzela blaze alone has scorched over 7,000 hectar

The Portugal Brief 04 Jul 2026

The modernist Palacio da Justica courthouse building in Lisbon under a clear sky

Resolving a Dispute Through the Julgados de Paz in Portugal in 2026 — A Practical Guide to the Small-Claims Peace Courts, the €15,000 Limit, the €70 Fee, Mediation and When You Do Not Need a Lawyer

Portugal has a cheaper, faster alternative to the ordinary courts for everyday civil disputes worth up to €15,000: the Julgados de Paz. A practical 2026 guide to what they can hear, the flat €70 fee, the mediation stage, how to file, and when you can appeal.

The Portugal Brief 04 Jul 2026

The yellow facade of the Ministerio das Financas headquarters in Lisbon, flying the Portuguese and European Union flags

Portugal's Finance Ministry Blocks an ECO Journalist From an Off-the-Record Briefing After the Paper Scooped Its Treasury-Certificates Launch

After ECO published details of the government's new Certificados do Tesouro a day before an embargoed release, a GNR officer turned its reporter away from an off-the-record Finance Ministry briefing he had been invited to. ECO's director calls it a punishment and says the paper will boycott such mee

The Portugal Brief 04 Jul 2026

The Mondego river at Coimbra with a modern cable-stayed bridge and a curved footbridge crossing green riverbanks

University of Coimbra Experts Trace the February Mondego Dike Rupture to Failed Flood Defences and Years of Neglected Maintenance

A University of Coimbra working group has traced February's rupture of the Baixo Mondego flood dikes to protection systems that largely failed, a channel silted by debris trapped under the A1 bridge and years without maintenance — concluding the fix is repair and upkeep, not a new strategy.

The Portugal Brief 04 Jul 2026

A small shop with staff serving customers on a cobbled street in central Lisbon, representing a Portuguese small business

Hiring Your First Employee in Portugal in 2026 — A Practical Guide to Registering as an Employer with Segurança Social, Reporting the Hire, TSU Contributions, Mandatory Work-Accident Insurance and the New Simplified Contribution Cycle

Taking on staff turns you into an employer with duties that begin before day one. A practical 2026 guide to registering with Segurança Social, reporting the hire, the 34.75% TSU, compulsory work-accident insurance, the new automated contribution cycle and the true cost of a payroll.

The Portugal Brief 03 Jul 2026

The Caixa Geral de Depósitos headquarters building in Lisbon at dusk

Supreme Court Rules Caixa Geral de Depósitos Must Index the Meal Allowance It Pays on Workers' Holidays

The Supremo Tribunal de Justiça has ruled that Caixa Geral de Depósitos must raise each year the meal allowance it pays to staff on holiday, overturning a lower court. It reinforces a wider principle: a benefit paid consistently for long enough becomes a right that cannot be frozen.

The Portugal Brief 03 Jul 2026

The Ministério do Trabalho e Segurança Social tower at Praça de Londres in Lisbon, headquarters of Portugal's labour and social security administration

Portugal Automates Employer Social-Security Contributions and Sets a 2027 End Date for the Monthly DMR

Under a reform called the Simplificação do Ciclo Contributivo, Portugal's Social Security will calculate employers' monthly contributions itself and retire the employer-built DMR return. It is voluntary in 2026 and compulsory from January 2027 — here is what employers must do now.

The Portugal Brief 03 Jul 2026

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