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High-voltage electricity transmission pylons and power lines crossing the landscape under a clear sky

Portugal's Energy Regulator Will Reconfigure Six Million Electricity Meters and Simplify Time-of-Use Tariffs From 2027

From July 2027, energy regulator ERSE will reconfigure the meters of six million households on the flat tariff so they can see the savings of time-of-use pricing, while simplifying the bi-hourly and tri-hourly plans by scrapping most summer-winter schedule switches.

The Portugal Brief 13 Aug 2026

A street of older residential apartment buildings in a Portuguese city, ordinary flats with balconies and shuttered windows

A Rent Overhaul Lands in Parliament, and the Death of a Tenant Could Unfreeze Portugal's Oldest Rents

The government's rental-law overhaul has reached Parliament, and its sharpest clause would restrict how Portugal's frozen pre-1990 'old rents' pass on when the original tenant dies — opening the door to bringing some of the country's cheapest homes back toward market value.

The Portugal Brief 13 Aug 2026

The modern glass buildings of the Campus de Justica de Lisboa legal complex in Parque das Nacoes

The Registo Central do Beneficiario Efetivo (RCBE) in Portugal in 2026 — A Practical Guide to Who Must Declare a Company's Real Owners, the 25% Threshold, the 31 December Annual Confirmation and the €1,000–€50,000 Fines

Own a Portuguese company or hold property through a foreign entity? You must keep the RCBE (Central Register of Beneficial Ownership) current. Our 2026 guide: who declares, the 25% rule, the 31 December annual confirmation, filing it free, and the €1,000–€50,000 fines.

The Portugal Brief 13 Aug 2026

The illuminated facade of the Hospital de Santa Maria in Lisbon at night, with an emergency-vehicles sign in the foreground

Portugal's Doctors Demand a National Earthquake-Resilience Audit of Hospitals and Regular Disaster Drills

The Ordem dos Medicos (Medical Association) wants a nationwide assessment of how well Portugal's hospitals would withstand a major earthquake, plus regular disaster drills, warning that a quake-damaged hospital becomes 'a catastrophe within a catastrophe' just when patients need it most.

The Portugal Brief 13 Aug 2026

The concrete arch of the Barragem de Picote hydroelectric dam in a rocky Douro gorge, one of the six dams EDP sold to an Engie-led consortium in 2020

Five Years After EDP Sold Six Douro Dams, a €335 Million Tax Bill Comes Due — and Trás-os-Montes Councils Are Still Waiting for Their Share

The €335.2 million tax dispute over EDP's 2020 sale of six Douro dams to an Engie-led consortium is live again: €99.6m in IMT, €120.9m in stamp duty and €114.67m in corporate tax. Prosecutors forced the Tax Authority to collect, and interior councils are owed more than €3 million in property tax on

The Portugal Brief 12 Aug 2026

The golden limestone cliffs and sandy shore of Praia da Marinha in Lagoa, Algarve, under a grey sky, illustrating the region's sun-and-sand tourism

One in Four Algarve Hoteliers Brace for a Softer Summer Than 2025, Exposing the Region's Reliance on British Visitors

Roughly a quarter of Algarve hoteliers expected the 2026 season to fall short of 2025 on occupancy and length of stay, according to the Hotel Association of Portugal. Occupancy is still solid, but the cooling mood highlights the region's heavy dependence on British visitors — around 57% of non-resid

The Portugal Brief 12 Aug 2026

A white GNR Brigada de Trânsito (Traffic Brigade) Volkswagen patrol car parked on a Portuguese street, illustrating the planned road-safety enforcement push

Driving Over 180 km/h Could Become a Crime in Portugal's New Highway Code, as the Government Revives the GNR Traffic Brigade

Interior Minister Luís Neves says Portugal's new Highway Code is 70% settled and that driving at 180 or 200 km/h could shift from an administrative fine to a crime. Heavier penalties, easier licence removal, tougher rules for repeat offenders and a revived GNR Traffic Brigade are all on the table, w

The Portugal Brief 12 Aug 2026

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