The Social Democratic Party opposition party has accused Minister of the Environment, João Pedro Matos Fernandes, of doing nothing to stop the pollution in the Tagus river, the latest instance of which was reported yesterday, (HERE).
The PSD proposed further investment in environmental monitoring but said that its petition had been rejected by the socialist government which had claimed that the existing control measures "were sufficient."
Since the Golden Visa scheme was launched in 2012, €3.5 billion has been spent in Portugal by non-EU residents as part of the qualification criteria.
A total of 5,553 residence permits have been granted to immigrants to Portugal, not that Golden Visa holders have to live here, yet the official number of foreigners entering the country is estimated by the government to be three times this figure as qualifying family members join the principal applicant.
Portugal’s lamentable performance in protecting certain natural habitats is to be exposed - the European Commission is taking the government to the EU Court of Justice for breach of habitat protection laws.
Despite formal warnings to Portugal’s government that it should attend to its Natura 2000 commitments, the Commission today announced that court action is necessary due to Portugal’s failure to protect many countryside areas and their species.
On January 12th, a Maritime Police patrol boat collided with a second boat in the pre-dawn darkness of the Ria Formosa severely injured one of the two people on board, Aldemiro da Conceição Nabiça and his 40-year-old son. (HERE)
The 65-year-old Alvor man was rushed to Faro Hospital where, after two weeks in a coma, he has died.
A blanket of evil-looking, brown foam, described as "Dante-esque" and 'the worst ever seen' has covered an area of the Tagus river downstream of an industrial area where factories and their dumping of effluent are being 'closely watched' by the Ministry of the Environment.
The ever-vigilant proTEJO Movement, whose environmental guardian and leader Arlindo Marquês already is being sued for €250,000 by one of the factories who took exception to his observations, (HERE), recorded for posterity the blanket of foam which on Wednesday covered the Tagus in the Abrantes area.
The former Angolan Vice-President, Manuel Vicente, could yet face trial in Operation Fizz - he is accused of bribing a former Portuguese public prosecutor, Orlando Figueira.
The Attorney General of Angola has informed the Portuguese Public Prosecutor's Office that Vincente will be available five years after the end of his mandate, which pushes any court date back to 2022 as Vicente ended his term of office in September 2017.
Portugal’s Environment Minister, João Matos Fernandes, has announced the way in which department will spend €3.5 million to increase the capacity of eight reservoirs. He also plans to refill the reservoir at Monte da Rocha where the water volume is down to 8% of capacity.
The Government spend, now that water levels are at historic lows, aims to improve the water quality so that more of the total volume in the reservoirs is useable.
Portugal had the fourth largest budget surplus in the eurozone between the second and third quarter last year, according to eurostat figures, out today.
The third quarter budget surplus was the highest in 23 years, with the eurostat data showing the relative position of Portugal within the eurozone.
