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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

Floodwater covering a Portuguese river valley up to the base of electricity pylons and poles, with a town and green hills visible through the rain haze beyond

Portugal Draws the Largest Share of a 489 Million Euro EU Storm Package, and Two Thirds of It Is Still Waiting on Parliament and Council

Brussels proposed 261 million euros for Portugal on Thursday, against winter storms that killed 18 people and left more than 5.3 billion euros of damage. Only 65.37 million has actually been paid so far.

The Portugal Brief 17 Sep 2026

The frontage of the Sete Rios coach terminal in Lisbon on a clear day, with a Rede Expressos ticket office and a coach waiting at the kerb

More Irregular Migrants Are Reaching Lisbon and Porto by Coach and Train, and the PSP Is Watching the Terminals

Secondary movement inside Schengen is now the borders unit's main worry, ahead of the external frontier. For many of those arriving, Portugal is a staging post rather than a destination.

The Portugal Brief 13 Sep 2026

The Portuguese Navy frigate NRP Vasco da Gama, pennant number F330, moored alongside in Tallinn with the Portuguese flag flying from the mast

A Diplomat Takes the Chair of the Body Watching Portugal's 5.8 Billion Euro Defence Loan, With PSD, Chega and PS Given Seats Inside It

Nuno Brito, ambassador to London since 2022, will preside over the commission monitoring defence investment and the European SAFE instrument. A second body audits the money separately.

The Portugal Brief 12 Sep 2026

An open Metro do Porto excavation with exposed rebar, hoarding and a tunnel mouth cut into the earth

Portugal Has Drawn 24 Percent of Its 22.6 Billion Euro EU Envelope, More Than Four Points Below the European Average and Seventh From the Bottom

The European Commission's payment monitor was updated on Thursday. Portugal has received 5.43 billion euros, of which 3.8 billion are interim payments tied to invoices, against a European average of 28.4 percent.

The Portugal Brief 11 Sep 2026

A narrow cobbled street in Alfama, Lisbon, with tram rails curving between pastel and yellow residential facades, wrought-iron balconies and a hanging street lamp

Brussels Wants a Single European Test for When a City May Curb Short-Term Lets, and It Carves Your Own Home Out of It

The Affordable Housing Act, presented Wednesday, sets common criteria for housing-pressure zones and requires authorities to show short-term letting worsens supply or prices. A main residence is explicitly excluded.

The Portugal Brief 08 Sep 2026

Passengers queueing between retractable barriers in a terminal at Lisbon's Humberto Delgado airport, with a uniformed security officer standing beside the line

The Six-Hour Valve at Europe's Biometric Border Expired on Sunday, and It Only Lasted That Long Because the Rollout Missed Its Own Biometric Threshold

Article 7(3) of Regulation 2025/1534 let a state drop fingerprints for six hours at one crossing point when queues grew. It lapsed on 6 September. Ryanair wants it back to April 2027, and Portugal signed a letter asking for the same thing in July.

The Portugal Brief 08 Sep 2026

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