The problems of urban renewal and heritage conservation will be discussed in Lagos at the 15th national meeting of the association, 'Municipalities with a Historic Centre' (APMCH), at the end of October.

The initiative, organised by APMCH in partnership with Lagos council and the discredited municipal company Futurlagos, intends to promote a reflection on the challenges on the management of cities with historic centres.

Loulé Council aims to be free from the "government Troika" by paying off its LMP loan early.

The Loulé mayor has announced that the council will recover its financial autonomy by paying off €10 million from its loan by the year end.

EU operations for long have been divided between Brussels and Strasbourg, but a fresh report has claimed that €1bn could be saved in just four years if the use of Strasbourg were ended.

Eliminating the European Parliament’s Strasbourg seat would result in a one-off saving of €616m and annual savings of €114m, says the European Court of Auditors.

The French government believes it may have found a way to limit or exclude migrants from other parts of the EU.

The French parliament is debating bills which would grant new powers to deny entry to such migrants if they are considered a threat to public order or national security.

The European Central Bank has begun using quantitative easing tools to try to alleviate the renewed crisis in the eurozone.

It has already begun to buy specific French bonds with the objective of enlarging its balance sheet which in turn should pump up demand in the euro area.

The Algarve's mayors are concerned about the delay in the promised EN125 roadworks and fear the approaching winter will make the roads even worse if they have not been sorted out.

With the renegotiation of contracts, Estrada de Portugal took over the responsibility for upgrading the EN125 between Olhão and Vila Real de Santo António, but the work has hardly started and deadlines already are slipping.

The deputy prime minister Paulo Portas has spoken on the subject of the proposed 2015 State Budget, claiming it is good for business as corporation tax is to be reduced and that the pro-family package is a winner.

Portas said that the proposed Budget is "fiscally more moderate" than earlier and that families are being supported, “It is a pro-family policy, recognising that the state should create a favorable environment for families who have children, or who want to have them in exercise of their freedom."

Despite the prolonged recession, people in Europe remain devoted to purchasing new cars.

Sales in Europe jumped 6.4% in September, driven by purchases in Spain, France, Germany and the UK.