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The long low frontage of the Sete Rios coach terminal in Lisbon on a clear day, with Rede Expressos signage above the ticket hall and a coach waiting at the far end of the platform.

Six Months After Winning in Court, FlixBus Still Cannot Board a Passenger at Sete Rios, and It Has Gone Back to the Judge

An enforcement action and a criminal complaint against the terminal operator's managers. FlixBus says a 20 August access date already slipped, its 60-day capacity declarations are about to expire, and there is still not one journey on sale from Sete Rios.

The Portugal Brief 05 Sep 2026

Rolling Alentejo farmland at Castro Verde, ploughed red and brown earth between lines of widely spaced holm oaks running along the crest of a low hill under a clear blue sky.

Portugal's Environment Agencies Are About to Be Redrawn: River Basin Directorates for the APA, Central Control of Impact Assessments for the ICNF

Maria da Graça Carvalho told Lusa on Friday that the restructuring is practically ready and heading for the Council of Ministers. The first concrete detail points one way: decision-making moves from the regional offices to the centre.

The Portugal Brief 05 Sep 2026

Tiled and painted townhouses along Porto's Avenida da Boavista behind a newly paved busway, a curved white transit shelter at the left of the frame and a van crossing the carriageway.

Porto's Mayor Gives the Metrobus Contractor Until December and Names It as the Reason the Works Are Late

Pedro Duarte told reporters on Friday that the builder of the second phase has missed its deadlines and has not met its obligations. Metro do Porto, which is the client, has not answered questions about the new date or about money beyond the recovery plan.

The Portugal Brief 04 Sep 2026

The riverfront of Lisbon's Terreiro do Paço seen from the Tagus, the long yellow arcaded ministry wings running along the water with the cathedral and the castle hill rising behind them.

Fitch Lifts Portugal to A+, and the Upgrade Came Straight From the Model With No Committee Override

The agency moved the long-term ratings up a notch on Friday evening and reset the outlook to Stable from Positive. Its own regression model produced the higher score and the committee applied no adjustment. Debt is forecast at 87 percent of GDP this year.

The Portugal Brief 04 Sep 2026

TAP's Chief Executive Has Run the Airline for Twenty Months Without a Renewed Mandate, on a Pay Cut Nobody Restored

Luis Rodrigues's mandate expired at the end of 2024 and was never renewed. His 30 percent pay cut, temporary for the rest of the board and reversed on 30 June, is described in TAP's accounts as permanent. He earned 504,000 euros last year.

The Portugal Brief 04 Sep 2026

The long pink facade of the Imprensa Nacional Casa da Moeda on Rua da Escola Politecnica in Lisbon, with arched windows, the INCM sign and tram wires overhead

Decree-Law 177/2026 Rewrites Portugal's Public Contracts Code, and From 1 October 150,000 Euros of Building Work Can Go to One Firm Without a Tender

The reform trailed in June is now law, in force on 1 October. Beyond the higher direct-award ceilings, the published text adds voluntary arbitration, a new ground for awarding nothing, and a bar on inviting companies that share a beneficial owner.

The Portugal Brief 04 Sep 2026

A red and white CP Alfa Pendular high-speed train waiting at a platform under the tree-like steel canopy of Lisbon's Gare do Oriente station at sunset.

Portugal's Only Private Bidder for the High-Speed Line Says It Cannot Race Two State Railways at Once

B-Rail, of the Barraqueiro group, has worked on entering the Lisbon to Porto line since 2021. Renfe is now homologating 30 variable-gauge Talgo trainsets for Portugal, and CP is buying 12 of its own. B-Rail is the only candidate without a state balance sheet.

The Portugal Brief 04 Sep 2026

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