Former Portuguese PM heads for top job in Brussels
The Portuguese government and Prime Minister Luis Montenegro’s Democratic Alliance party have fully endorsed the bid by former Prime Minister António Costa to become the next president of the European Council.
Costa is the favourite for the job as his nomination is also receiving so much support from leaders in other EU countries, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and even Hungary’s Prime Minister, Viktor Orban.
Costa made many key allies when he attended an EU summit in Brussels last December. Yet just a month earlier, he had been obliged to step down as Portugal’s prime minister and head of the Socialist Party (PS), as investigations got underway into alleged irregularities in his government’s handling of several large investment projects. Costa denied any wrong-doing and was never charged.
He is expected to soon replace the current European Council chief, Charles Michel of Belgium, who has served as the top official responsible since 2019 for organising summits at which the agendas are set for the 27 member states.
Costa is said to have all the right credentials, including that of a “pragmatic negotiator,” for the task he is hoping to achieve.
Portugal’s two centrist parties have been rivals since the Carnation Revolution in 1975. Yet Luis Montenegro of the centre-right told a press conference after an informal meeting of EU leaders in Brussels on June 17, that acceptance of Costa of the centre left as president of the Council would garner Portugal’s “unequivocal support.”
Montenegro went on to say: “I can also claim following from what I said to my colleagues from the European People’s Party that this nomination meets all the requirements to be accepted and validated in a final decision.”
António Costa, 62, worked as a lawyer before becoming a member of the Portuguese parliament in 1991. His many positions since then have included mayor of Lisbon, elected in 2007, 2009, and 2013. He was a minister of the European Committee of the Regions from 2010 to2015, adding to his considerable experience with the European Parliament and Council, before serving as prime minister from 2015 to 2024.
Costa clearly has a long and probably very successful political career ahead of him.
Written by Len Port
Mayor of Faro proposes new organisation to reinforce protection for the elderly
The president of Faro City Council today suggested the creation of a body similar to the Commissions for the Protection of Children and Young People (CPCJ), with national status, to reinforce the protection of the elderly.
Addressing the Secretary of State for Social Action and Inclusion, Clara Marques Mendes, during the opening session of a seminar in Faro, Rogério Bacalhau proposed the creation of an organization similar to the model of the current CPCJ. “An organization with national status, whose mission was to protect the elderly, increasingly abandoned, increasingly exploited”, he added, in his intervention at the seminar, “In Faro, violence is not accepted, period!” .
The mayor later explained to journalists that the great advantage of the CPCJ is that they do “monitoring and mediation work” with families in order to improve situations, but “when things don't work” it is possible to appeal, in last resort, to the courts.
“The CPCJ works on the basis of mediation, but then it has a force behind it that, if it cannot reach an agreement, can impose certain rules. And this is something that, somehow, is also missing in this issue of the elderly, where children and family members often treat people badly, leaving them alone and the person feeling unwell. There needs to be an authority here that, in some way, forces this not to happen”, he stressed.
The mayor also recalled the “pioneering” creation, by the Chamber of Faro, of the Municipal Commission for the Promotion of the Rights of the Elderly of Faro, in 2022, as a result of the experience of helping the elderly during the covid-19 pandemic.
“It is an organization that, bringing together several skills, helps seniors to have better care and, above all, to not become easy prey for those who might mistreat or defraud them”, he said, about thr work carried out with “hundreds of people”.
This commission works in a network with the help of the PSP and GNR, which are the first to flag isolated elderly people, particularly in the rural areas of the municipality, then allowing more direct monitoring by the police forces and municipal services.
“In rural areas, there are many people who live isolated. People who were born there, now their children are far away, they have no other family and they need daily support. This is a lot of what the commission does”, pointed out the mayor.
The Secretary of State for Social Action and Inclusion, Clara Marques Mendes, considered this municipal commission an “extraordinary example” that should be “replicated” by other municipalities.
Regarding the Farense mayor's suggestion, the governor said that it deserves reflection within the scope of the work to create the Statute of the Elderly, the preliminary draft of which the Government is currently preparing, which will aim to “consecrate a set of fundamental principles regarding the elderly and their autonomy".
The Government intends to look at “the challenge that demography” is posing to the country, helping people to live until later “with dignity, quality and well-being”, she said.
“We can never accept situations in which, for example, an elderly person stays in a hospital because they have nowhere to go. Although he no longer needs healthcare, he has no support, no one to pick him up. We have to be at the forefront of the solution and protect the elderly, because this is a form of violence”, highlighted Clara Marques Mendes.
The “main concern” must be to ensure that all elderly people are able to, “first of all, remain in their home, in their usual way of life, with adequate support”, such as a home support service or a informal caregiver status, she said.
Price of olive oil is expected to plummet
The price of olive oil is expected to plummet according to one of the main olive oil companies in Spain, after a long and steep climb over the last two years.
Olive oil consumers can finally breathe a sigh of relief as prices should start to drop significantly from September this year, claims Víctor Roig, General Director of Deoleo, in statements to 'elEconomista', an online newspaper focusing on national and worlsdwide economy.
Roig is confident that olive oil prices will fall to levels close to those in 2021, to between 3 and 4 Euros per litre.
The impact of the inflation of olive oil was reflected in the fall in consumption, with the percentage of households consuming olive oil falling from 81.8% to 78.1% in the last year, representing a reduction of half a million consumers. This downward trend is visible in data from the Price Observatory, which indicate an increase in the price of virgin olive oil for consumers by around 2% in the first quarter of this year and more than 49% compared to 2023.
From the beginning of this year until March 25th, the price of virgin olive oil went from 8.67 euros per litre to 8.85 euros, an increase of just over 2%.
Comparatively, in March 2023, the price was 5.92 euros per litre, which represents an increase of more than 49% in a year.
In the case of extra virgin olive oil, the increase was even more pronounced, with an increase of more than 10% in the first three months of the year, reaching 9.78 euros per litre at the end of March. Between April 2023 and March 2024, the price rose 67.5%.
Regarding production, between January 29th and March 25th this year, the value of bottled olive oil increased by 2.63%, going from 9.12 euros to 9.36 euros per litre. In April 2023, the price per litre was 5.96 euros, which translates into an increase of 57%.
The most recent data indicates that the price of olives for olive oil was at 0.87 euros per kilogram (kg) at the beginning of January this year, below the 1.05 euros per kg recorded in October 2023. However, this price has grown more than 7% between December 2023 and January 2024, going from 0.81 euros to 0.87 euros per kg.
With these price drop forecasts, consumers could see relief in their family budget. Roig, cited by Executive Digest , highlights that price stabilization could encourage a recovery in consumption, bringing back to the market those who, due to inflation, had reduced their olive oil purchases. The expectation of a sharp drop in prices is a light at the end of the tunnel for a sector that has faced significant challenges in recent years.
The price of water is expected to increase 25.7% by 2030
The price of water is expected to increase 25.7% by 2030 to maintain urban consumption at 2022 levels, according to a study in which, for the first time, an analysis of the economic value of water in Portugal has been carried out.
The study “The economic value of water in Portugal” will be presented today at the Gulbenkian Foundation, in Lisbon, having been coordinated by the economist and professor at the “Católica-Lisbon” University, Miguel Gouveia. The two institutions sponsored the research which, they say, aims to contribute to the search for sustainable solutions for water management.
According to the study, in 2015, households spent an average of 1.3% of their budget on water and related services such as solid waste and wastewater, a lower value compared to other countries. Increasing tariffs will not be unaffordable for most families, the report says.
The combined analysis of the data indicates that urban water consumption is expected to increase by around 25.7% by 2030. “To maintain consumption at the level of 2022, the price of water will have to rise by 25.7% by 2030, for an average of 3.2 euros per cubic metre, which can be seen as the economic value of water for urban consumption”.
Speaking to the Lusa agency, Miguel Gouveia has said that in order to reduce consumption, many information and awareness campaigns are necessary, efforts that will have to be accompanied by price increases, which although not “something pleasant” will not have a major impact “on the overwhelming majority of households”.
“I also understand that more is being asked of those who have more,” he said, referring to what some municipalities already do, which is to increase prices in the upper consumption brackets.
Agriculture, the sector that consumes the most, will also have to make more rational use of water. “There has to be an effort on all fronts.”
Miguel Gouveia recalled that technological progress has led to improvements in water consumption, that washing machines today consume much less water, and that in agriculture, “30 or 40 years ago, irrigation used 14,000 cubic metres per hectare, today it uses 4000 cubic metres”.
In agriculture, he highlighted, the value of water is much higher than the cost in most cases, explaining that the study served to establish a value of water, something that was lacking in Portugal.
According to the study, the average economic value of water used in agriculture across the country and all crops, at 2022 prices, was estimated at 0.585 euros per cubic metre.
The values depend on the region of the country and the type of culture. For example, the estimate for the value of water used in rice was 0.08 euros, a positive value only due to aid from the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), while in avocados the value of water was 2.65 euros per cubic metre.
In Portugal, the average annual rainfall has decreased by 20% in the last 20 years, and is expected to decrease by another 10 to 25% by the end of the century.
In addition to other factors, water scarcity will have a direct impact on the potential for hydroelectricity generation, making electricity more expensive, and “will have significant macroeconomic impacts, particularly on GDP (in a scenario of more severe climate effects, GDP could fall by 3.2% ), in increases in unemployment and inflation rates, and a deterioration in the trade balance.”
“We are going to have less water, it will be a gradual process, despite the fact that in Portugal there is more rain than in several countries in Europe”, but if we invest in ways to not lose water, for example more reservoirs, there could be a greater supply. Without investment, "the desert will advance across the south of the country," warns Gouveia.
“Not all investments are profitable and this can be seen with this value of water”, he said, highlighting the importance of having a “good cost-benefit analysis” of the public policies under discussion, to prevent risks of waste.
In the words of Miguel Gouveia, who cites the opinion of experts, the reuse of treated wastewater makes sense in the Algarve but less so in other regions, because the elevation of these waters (the treatment plants, WWTP, are close to sea level) has a cost.
Likewise, improvements to networks to prevent leaks will also be very expensive. “It doesn’t mean it’s not worth investing, it means we won’t get a great return,” he explained.
Transfers can be a solution, and the construction of desalination plants can also be an option, although expensive, especially as it is insurance in cases of extreme shortages, “but it cannot be a blind strategy”.
Miguel Gouveia insists on a “systematic analysis of which of the various options is worthwhile”. And he reinforces: “This is the main message, responses that are as rational as possible”.
The study will presented this afternoon, in a session that will also debate topics such as the water strategy for the agricultural sector or rainfall inequalities.
GNR dismantles Algarve drug trafficking network
The Criminal Investigation Unit (NIC) of the GNR in Loulé, have arrested five men and one woman aged between 39 and 58, for drug trafficking in the Algarve region.
The GNR explains in a statement that, as part of patrolling actions, they found that there was "a feeling of insecurity" in the community of Tôr, in Loulé.
After initial police investigations, a larger year long investigation was launched, which allowed police to determine there was a network of drug trafficking, distribution and sale of the narcotic products.
This Monday, the GNR carried out nine home searches and eight other searches, resulting in the arrests in various locations in the municipalities of Loulé, Faro and Tavira.
During the operation, 32,492 doses of hashish were seized; 593 doses of cocaine; 11 doses of liamba; 14 cell phones; two firearms; two compressed air guns; five light vehicles; three motorcycles; €6876 in cash; $400 in cash; €90 in counterfeit notes; various cutting and drug packaging materials and a pair of walkie talkie radios.
The detainees will be present at the Judicial Court of Faro, for the application of coercive measures.
The operation involved a total of 54 police soldiers, and also had the support of the Public Security Police (PSP).
EU election’s impact on climate action
During and in the immediate aftermath of the European Parliamentary elections, most voters seem to have been preoccupied with what they consider the most pressing issues in their own country, namely the cost of living, immigration and defence.
Since then, it has become clearer that the existential threat of global warming will be partly helped, but also hindered, by the election results.
It will be helped that the two climate conscious centrist groups have an overall majority in the new parliament. Ursula Von Der Leyen, the incumbent centrist leader of the EU Commission, the organisation’s top authority, is a firm believer in the bloc’s ‘Green Deal’ to do all possible to tackle the climate crisis and achieve net zero CO2 emissions as targeted. Portugal is among Europe’s most supportive countries in that goal with the elimination of fossil fuels.
The overall turnout for the elections was just over 50%, about the same as in 2019. In Portugal, only 36.5% of eligible voters went to the polls. It was an even lower turnout elsewhere. This, and the fact that the Green parties did so badly in the elections, will hinder climate activism.
The Greens fell from fourth to sixth overall in the parliament by losing a third of their seats since the last elections in 2019. The loss was mainly in France and Germany, it is thought that the losses were due not only to the big gains by the far-right, but also because many younger voters did not vote at all.
Another setback has been the results for the European Renew party, which lost 23 seats and is reduced to 79, though it is still the third largest party after the two centrist groups.
The shift to far-right populism during the EU elections was particularly strong in Germany and France. It could make it much more difficult o progress with Green Deal policies, which may fizzle though not be ditched
The Green Deal, first announced in 2019, aims to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions levels by at least 55% by2030, compared to 1990 levels.
Climate scepticism seems to have been substantially increasing in Europe in recent years while more attention is focused on worries about the cost of living, in the face of inflation, immigration, especially from the Middle East and other non-EU countries, and defence due to Russia’s aggression.
As summer approaches, we are again going to be challenged by alarming if not cataclysmic temperature rises and associated extreme environmental disasters.
Grim news, but we must face the truth.
Written by Len Port
