Portugal’s banks continue to hoard repossessed properties, releasing few onto the market.
The banking sector, keen as mustard to seize properties when the crisis hit, grabbed €5.5 billion’s worth of homes, most of them have lain empty ever since to help push house prices upwards.
Spain’s Council of Ministers has approved a package of measures to speed up the country’s energy transition, including scrapping the ‘sun tax’ that has seen major solar farm projects switch from Spain to Portugal where the tax regime has been views as less punishing.
Other measures are included in a wide-ranging decree to ensure Spain gets closer to complying with its renewable energy objectives.
With the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI approaching in November, Albufeira Council has launched two exhibitions in commemoration.
Both are in the Espaço Multiusos de Albufeira. The first, roughly translated as 'Tears and mud... 14-18 through the eyes of a soldier,' has been created by the Portuguese-French association, Cívica, represented by Paulo Marques.
October 5th in Portugal is known as Implantação da República. It celebrates the proclamation of the Portuguese First Republic in 1910.
The 5th is a national holiday in Portugal, for most people it’s the day that in 1910 King Manuel II was deposed and the Portuguese republic was proclaimed but for others there is a different significance.
The head of Altice Portugal, Alexandre Fonseca, has been in the Algarve, spreading the munificence of the international telecoms company.
Fonseca said that, among other initiatives, Altice Portugal will sign a collaboration agreement with Faro's University to "promote the capture and retention of talent in the region, as well as the development of academic projects of public interest or business that boost the regional economy."
Cristiano Ronaldo has been excluded from the Portugal football squad for international matches due to an investigation into rape allegations reopening this week.
The 33-year-old Juventus footballer has denied accusations made by Kathryn Mayorga that the superstar player raped her in a Las Vegas hotel nine years ago.
Algarve MP, Cristovão Norte, had highlighted further inconsistencies in the government’s transport policy, complaining that the new raft of discounted bus services, available only to residents in Porto and Lisbon, fail to include similar groups in the Algarve .
The Government is to include, in the 2019 State Budget, a discount scheme costing €90 million for public transport in the metropolitan areas of Lisbon and Porto.
Airline Associations have challenged the charges levied by the French-owned Portuguese airport operator, ANA.
Airlines for Europe (A4E) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) have demanded the Portuguese government endorses a way forward for lower airport charges by re-negotiating the concession agreement granted to ANA.
