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Aerial view of the Kirchberg European quarter in Luxembourg, with the gold towers of the Court of Justice of the European Union on the left and cranes in the foreground

A Porto-Born Judge Is Now Second in Command at the EU General Court, Where Companies and Citizens Take Brussels to Court

Maria José Costeira, a judge at Lisbon's commercial court for seventeen years and a former head of the Portuguese judges' association, was elected Vice-President of the General Court of the EU until August 2028.

The Portugal Brief 23 Sep 2026

The headquarters of the Policia Judiciaria on Rua Gomes Freire in Lisbon, a large grey and white modern building with motorbikes parked outside under a blue sky

Prosecutors Spent Four Hours Inside a Judicial Police Unit, Looking for a Recording Its Director Told a Court Was Never Made

Magistrates, tax inspectors and forensic specialists searched the PJ's technology support unit on Wednesday in the false-testimony inquiry into Carlos Cabreiro. Nobody has been named a suspect, and the Rui Pinto appeal is still pending.

The Portugal Brief 23 Sep 2026

The clock tower on the seafront esplanade at Figueira da Foz, with benches, a wet promenade and the wide sandy beach under a grey sky

Figueira da Foz Gets a Peace Court of Its Own, Where Claims up to 15,000 Euros Cost 70 Euros to Settle

Decreto-Lei n.º 192/2026 creates the Julgado de Paz da Figueira da Foz from today. Where it will sit and when it opens still depend on two ministerial orders, and local mediation is available meanwhile.

The Portugal Brief 23 Sep 2026

The pink baroque facade of the Guimaraes Court of Appeal on a cobbled street, with stone-framed windows, wrought-iron balconies and an armorial portal

A Non-Compete Clause That Paid Nothing Cost an Insurance Agency 120,000 Euros, Until the Guimaraes Court of Appeal Struck It Down

The agency was barred from competing for two years after leaving the DS Seguros network and paid nothing for the wait. Enforcing the penalty, the appeal court held, was an abuse of right. ECO reports at least 59 similar actions against former agents.

The Portugal Brief 20 Sep 2026

The entrance to the Campus de Justica de Lisboa, with the court complex signage

Prosecutors Shelve a Third Corruption Case Against Manuel Pinho, Finding No Proof He Sent a Million Euros of Tourism Money to the Firm That Hired His Son

The Ministério Público has closed the third corruption file to grow out of the EDP case against José Sócrates's economy minister. Prosecutors could not prove he steered a state tourism contract to the consultancy that later employed him, his son and his stepdaughter.

The Portugal Brief 19 Sep 2026

The carved stone lettering Supremo Tribunal de Justiça above the wrought-iron entrance gate of Portugal's Supreme Court in Lisbon

A Domestic Violence Victim's Pre-Trial Statement Now Stands Even If They Refuse to Testify, Portugal's Supreme Court Has Ruled

Acórdão do Supremo Tribunal de Justiça n.º 6/2026, published on Friday, fixes case law: a court may weigh declarações para memória futura taken before a judge during the investigation even when the victim later exercises the right to refuse to give evidence at trial.

The Portugal Brief 19 Sep 2026

Member state flags outside the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg

Portugal's Fast Track for EU-Funded Public Contracts Fails in Luxembourg, and a Losing Bidder's Automatic Suspension Comes Back

The Court of Justice ruled on Thursday that Article 25-A of Portugal's Public Procurement Code, which lets a contracting authority strip a challenge of its suspensive effect without the losing bidder being heard, is precluded by the Remedies Directive.

The Portugal Brief 18 Sep 2026

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