General news and current affairs from across Portugal.
Portugal's cellars held 11.6 million hectolitres of wine and must on 31 July, 5 percent less than in 2025, IVV stock declarations show. Reds fell 8 percent, whites rose, and the Douro and Port still hold over a third. A 12 percent bigger 2026 harvest is forecast.
The OECD Pensions Outlook 2026 finds Portugal's state pension meets its 70 percent target for an average earner, but low earners and the self-employed fall short. PPR contributions jumped 27 percent in 2025, yet savers withdrew 3 percent of assets early.
Portugal's association of municipalities told parliament on 4 November that the new late-payment rules, which make a council bill overdue after 30 days instead of 90, should be suspended for all of 2027 so that smaller town halls can adapt.
Banco Montepio and four bank unions agreed a 3 percent rise in salaries, bank pensions and other cash clauses for 2026, backdated to January according to ECO. The strike and protest planned at Montepio are cancelled; Millennium bcp still has no announced deal.
Construction firms employ more than 427,000 people and turnover has more than doubled since 2016 to 43.5 billion euros, but the sector weighs less in the economy than in 2006 and pay is below the business average, a Banco de Portugal study of 20 years shows.
PJ national director Carlos Cabreiro did not renew Álvaro Pires, who according to RTP proposed the Construbarcelos storage and later gave a wrong cost figure that reached the Justice Minister. Pires says he was given no reason.
Since the Return Law took effect on 11 September, a refused residence application is itself the duty to leave, with no separate notice first. The PSP can extend the deadline, and the refusal can be challenged in an administrative court.
