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Breaking news and developing stories from across Portugal.

Green vines growing between low black basalt walls in the terraced lava-stone vineyards of Pico island in the Azores, with the Atlantic visible on the horizon

Portugal Gains Its First Master of Wine as a Dão Producer Joins a Worldwide Roll of 427

Tiago Macena, a partner and winemaker at Código Wines in the Dão, is among seven new Masters of Wine announced on Thursday and the first based in Portugal. His research paper examined Encruzado, the Dão white grown almost nowhere else.

The Portugal Brief 20 Aug 2026

A white Portuguese building in Cascais with a green IEFP Centro de Emprego sign above the entrance, a small black car parked at the kerb and cobbled pavement in the foreground

Portugal's Jobless Register Turned Upward in July, Ending Five Straight Months of Decline at 269,100 People

The IEFP counted 269,100 registered unemployed in July, down 8.1% on the year but up 1.7% on June: the first monthly rise since February. Manual and service workers left the register in numbers while managers and specialists were added to it.

The Portugal Brief 20 Aug 2026

The long pastel Pombaline facade of the Banco de Portugal headquarters on Rua do Comercio in Lisbon, with stone-framed windows, wrought-iron balconies and a ground-floor arcade running the le

Portuguese Savers Cross €50 Billion in State Certificates for the First Time, but the Treasury's Own Product Kept Shrinking in July

Bank of Portugal data put household holdings of state savings certificates at €50.38 billion at the end of July, a first. Aforro certificates took in €767.7 million, their best month in three years; Treasury certificates fell for a 57th straight month despite a new product raising €297.7 million.

The Portugal Brief 20 Aug 2026

The long colonnaded limestone facade of the Reitoria da Universidade de Lisboa on the Cidade Universitaria campus under a clear blue sky, with cars parked along the road in front

Lisbon Will Field 103 Voting Machines on 4 October as the World's Largest Brazilian Electorate Abroad

Portugal now has 134,797 registered Brazilian voters, up 66.6% since 2022, and Lisbon alone holds more than 78,000 of them: the largest Brazilian electorate anywhere outside Brazil. The consulate is fielding 103 voting machines across three university buildings.

The Portugal Brief 20 Aug 2026

Hundreds of new Volkswagen cars parked in rows on the quayside at the port of Setubal in Portugal, waiting to be loaded onto a white and yellow Grimaldi Lines car carrier moored behind them

Just 3% of Portugal's Companies Are Foreign-Owned, Yet They Generate 46% of Its Exports

An Informa D&B study counts about 17,000 foreign-parented companies in Portugal: 3% of the business base, but 46% of exports, 31% of turnover and 808,000 jobs. Spain leads on company count with 3,684; American owners pay the most, at €50,000 per employee.

The Portugal Brief 20 Aug 2026

A Caixa Geral de Depositos bank branch with its blue sign on the ground floor of white Portuguese apartment blocks in Albufeira, seen from across the road with a bus shelter in front

Interest Now Eats 49.5% of the Average Portuguese Mortgage Payment, and New Borrowers Face €731 a Month

INE's July reading puts the implicit rate on Portuguese housing credit at 3.135%, a second straight monthly rise, with interest taking 49.5% of the average €414 instalment. Loans signed in the last three months average €731 a month, 15.1% more than a year ago.

The Portugal Brief 20 Aug 2026

The arched concrete wall of the Picote dam in the Douro Internacional gorge in north-east Portugal

The Tax Office Begins Billing EDP's Douro Dam Sale, Starting With €12.2 Million of a €335 Million Claim

The Autoridade Tributaria has issued its first assessment on the 2020 sale of six dams to the Movhera consortium, with the balance expected in September. EDP disputes both the tax framework and the sums, and will not pay until the courts rule.

The Portugal Brief 20 Aug 2026

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