🇵🇹 Portugal news, in English, every morning. Free. Subscribe

The Portugal Brief

Home
Politics
Economy
Guides
About

Sign in Subscribe

social-crosspost

A silver high-speed train with red trim speeding along the tracks in a motion blur

CP Pilots Elon Musk's Starlink to Plug Mobile-Signal Gaps on Its Alfa Pendular Trains

CP is testing Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet on one Alfa Pendular trainset to fix patchy on-board Wi-Fi where the mobile network is weak. The €30,000 pilot runs four to six months, and the government has defended picking Starlink for its technological maturity.

The Portugal Brief 27 Jun 2026

Private Hospital Revenue Reaches a Record €2.79 Billion in 2025 as Health-Insurance Take-Up Surges

Private Hospital Revenue Reaches a Record €2.79 Billion in 2025 as Health-Insurance Take-Up Surges

Private and public-private hospitals billed a combined €2.79 billion in 2025, up 9.5%, as more residents lean on health insurance and private care, according to Informa D&B.

The Portugal Brief 27 Jun 2026

Finance Minister Rejects an Expert Panel's Proposal to Merge Portugal's Three Financial Supervisors

Finance Minister Rejects an Expert Panel's Proposal to Merge Portugal's Three Financial Supervisors

A government-appointed panel proposed folding the Bank of Portugal, the CMVM and the insurance regulator into a single supervisor. Finance Minister Joaquim Miranda Sarmento turned it down within two days.

The Portugal Brief 27 Jun 2026

Portugal's Duty-Free Window for Cheap Non-EU Parcels Shuts on 1 July, With CTT Urging Shoppers to Clear Orders by Sunday

Portugal's Duty-Free Window for Cheap Non-EU Parcels Shuts on 1 July, With CTT Urging Shoppers to Clear Orders by Sunday

From 1 July the EU scraps the duty-free allowance on sub-€150 parcels from outside the bloc. CTT is urging shoppers to clear any incoming orders by 29 June to dodge the new charges.

The Portugal Brief 27 Jun 2026

The Lisboa Brief — Week of 27 June 2026: Rock in Rio Lights Parque Tejo, Festas Bow Out at Belém, PS Charges Moedas Over Developer 'Borlas' and a 60-Plus Rent Lottery Opens

The Lisboa Brief — Week of 27 June 2026: Rock in Rio Lights Parque Tejo, Festas Bow Out at Belém, PS Charges Moedas Over Developer 'Borlas' and a 60-Plus Rent Lottery Opens

Lisboa closed June at full volume — Rock in Rio at Parque Tejo, the Festas bowing out at Belém and the Mundial Fan Zone keeping the Terreiro loud. Beneath it, PS charged Moedas over developer 'borlas', the câmara opened a rent lottery for the over-60s, and a second heat wave hit.

The Portugal Brief 27 Jun 2026

A mechanic working underneath a car on a lift in a vehicle inspection garage

New IMT Rulebook Overhauls How Drivers Legally Modify a Registered Car, Easing Petrol-to-Electric Retrofits

The Council of Ministers has approved a single Vehicle Transformation Regulation setting clear rules for modifying a registered car. Every change still needs IMT sign-off and must not harm safety or emissions, but electric retrofits and camper conversions get a simpler path.

The Portugal Brief 27 Jun 2026

The Alqueva dam and reservoir on the Guadiana basin in southern Portugal under a cloudy sky

Portugal and Spain Strike a First Binding Flow Deal for the Lower Guadiana, Securing the Pomarão Intake for the Algarve

Lisbon and Madrid have agreed the lower Guadiana's first binding flow regime in a new protocol to the 1998 Albufeira Convention, fixing how the shared river is divided at Pomarão and clearing the way for a water intake the drought-hit Algarve has long counted on.

The Portugal Brief 27 Jun 2026

Subscribe to The Portugal Brief

Don't miss out on the latest news. Sign up now to get access to the library of members-only articles.

Sign up
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service
Partner with Us
Editorial Standards

The Portugal Brief © 2026. Powered by Ghost

Operated by Thrifty Explorations LLC.

[email protected]