The Portugal Brief -- Daily Briefing, March 14

Parliament debates five competing plans to fix the rental crisis

The Assembly of the Republic held a marathon session on Thursday, with proposals from PCP, Chega, IL, Livre, BE, and PAN all on the table. Ideas ranged from hard rent caps on new contracts to slashing landlord tax rates to 5%. The government's own package, approved by the Council of Ministers the day before, focuses on accelerating evictions and unblocking inherited properties. No votes were taken; the bills now move to committee.

Government extends fuel tax cuts to petrol as prices surge

Starting Monday, both diesel and unleaded petrol will receive emergency ISP discounts as fuel prices climb toward levels not seen since 2022. Diesel will carry a cumulative discount of 6.1 cents per litre, while petrol gets a new 2.7-cent reduction. Drivers should still expect to pay around €1.90/litre for diesel. The move comes as Brent crude hovers above $100/barrel amid the ongoing Iran conflict.

Mario Centeno retires from Banco de Portugal

The former Governor and Eurogroup president has formally left the institution after 35 years, signing a retirement agreement this week. Centeno, who oversaw Portugal's fiscal turnaround as Finance Minister (2015-2020), will spend the coming weeks as a visiting professor at the University of Miami before returning to ISEG in Lisbon.

Beja court delivers verdict in Alentejo trafficking case

A panel of judges in Beja read out its decision on Friday in the trial of 22 individuals and 12 companies charged with trafficking immigrants from Eastern Europe and South Asia into farm work under exploitative conditions. The case stems from the 2023 "Operação Espelho" by the Polícia Judiciária.

Police chase on the 25 de Abril Bridge injures officer

A PSP officer was hospitalized on Friday morning after being struck by a vehicle fleeing a routine traffic stop on the 25 de Abril Bridge. The incident occurred around 7:45am on the southbound-to-northbound carriageway near the toll plaza. Two suspects were detained further along the bridge near Alcântara.

Portugal and Dutch intelligence warn of Russian cyber operations

Portuguese and Dutch security services have jointly warned of a large-scale Russian state-sponsored cyber campaign targeting WhatsApp and Signal accounts of European officials, diplomats, military personnel, and journalists. The APT28 (Fancy Bear) group is identified as the likely actor, reportedly using AI tools to simulate familiar voices and appearances to deceive targets.

Oscars 2026 ceremony airs live on RTP tonight

The 98th Academy Awards, hosted by Conan O'Brien, will be broadcast live in Portugal on both RTP1 and RTP2 starting in the early hours of Sunday morning. Portuguese audiences can follow the ceremony from Hollywood without a streaming subscription.