Fast track lanes at Portugal's airports for post-Brexit British tourists

FaroAirportFrontPortugal’s government has authorised the installation of dedicated UK Passport holder corridors at two of its airports to enable the smooth flow of post-Brexit holidaymakers.

Prime Minister, António Costa, stated that, “Millions of Britons visit Portugal as tourists every year, we have to ensure the flow is not interrupted.”

British residents in Portugal - nothing much will change post-Brexit

MinisterSatosForeignAt a meeting of the Socialist Party in Loulé on Wednesday 16th January, the audience was address by Dr Augusto Santos Silva, the Portuguese Minister for Foreign Affairs.

As the subject of the meeting was ‘Brexit’, Michael Reeve, the CEO of afpop, was invited by the Faro MP, Dra Ana Passos.

Revive programme extended to include countryside properties

conventThe Revive programme, launched in 2016 to promote the sale or lease of old public buildings to the tourism sector, has received enquiries from about 440 interested parties, “of which 100 are foreigners," said the Secretary of State for Tourism.

The Castle of Cerveira was added to the list today, leaving dozens of ancient monasteries, convents, castles and forts up for negotiation.

'Green Visa' option for Golden Visa applicants

alentejo2Far from abolishing the suspiciously opaque Golden Visa programme, Portugal’s government is intent on widening the scheme by adding a new category, the ‘Green Visa.’

Parliament turned down a bill proposed by the opposition parties to abolish the Golden Visa scheme and voted through a counter-measure to widen the scheme’s appeal. 

Renovations and repairs commissioned for Arrifana and Odeceixe beach areas

beachSurfRoughAljezur Council and Polis Litoral Sudoeste Society, the sister organization to Polis Litoral Ria Formosa and also ‘in liquidation’, has announced that it has commissioned work to Portinho da Arrifana and is creating a footbridge to Odeceixe beach.

The deal was signed off in December last year.

Lagoa's Mayor wary of taking over local schools and healthcare

lagoamapThe mayor of Lagoa has spotted the obvious flaws in the government’s mission to decentralise services to local Councils and is clear that, without a lot more financial information, he is not able to accept the deal on offer.

All councils will be forced to accept the government’s new deal in 2021 but Francisco Martins is not biting right now, fearing that the financial implications hidden deep with the 'generous offer' would leave Lagoa Council’s coffers empty.

Brussels warns of "high risks" in Portugal's public finances over the medium term

euThe European Commission has noted that Portugal’s insufficient debt reduction targets have left the nation's public finances at ‘high risk’ in the medium term.

This less-than-cheery assessment is set out in the "2018 Budgetary Sustainability Report" published today by the EC’s Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs.

e-auction system sold over 5,000 properties last year

gavelThe sale of seized goods and property through the e-auction system has raised €930 million since the scheme started in May 2016.

In the past three years, more than 9,000 properties have been auctioned off, each one in lieu of debt and often representing a personal tragedy. The electronic auction system is vaunted as being, "faster, transparent and appealing," by those who run it.