Supermarket 'selling space' fee ignored by Pingo Doce

pingoSo far, there have been 13 court decisions in favour of supermarkets which challenged the government’s new food safety fee, created by the Ministry of Agriculture to fund 'food safety.'

The fee, based on the size of each supermarket, has been challenged by all the big supermarket chains.

Inflation jumps in Portugal

fruitPrices in Portugal are set to rise as the annual inflation rate went up by 1% in May this year.

This was against a eurozone average rise of 0.3%.

Most expensive city for expats - Luanda

luandaAngola’s capital city, Luanda, remains the most expensive city in the world for expats.

The league table of the priciest places to live was reported in Mercer’s Cost of Living Survey which considers what more than 200 items cost, such as housing, transport, food clothing, household goods and entertainment in 207 cities around the globe.

Drink limit raised for teenagers in Portugal

ALCOHOLFREEPortugal’s under-18s are to be banned from buying alcohol from July 1st in a government attempt to reduce long-term alcohol dependency.

The law now published in the Government Gazette makes it illegal for under-18s to purchase spirits, wine and beer. Current regulations allow those over 16 to buy wine and beer.

British home purchases abroad on the rise

expatReports from a bevy of experts are recommending that now is a good time for Brits to invest in properties abroad.

The aligning stars include a weak euro, a strong pound, healthy economic recovery, low property prices in many countries and low borrowing rates.

Nature organisation to help solve lynx poisoning case

lynx2Portugal’s League for the Protection of Nature (LPN) today announced that it has been asked to assist in criminal proceedings related to the poisoning of an Iberian lynx in March and called for the end of the illegal use of poisons.

"Faced with repeated cases of poisoning resulting in the death of protected and endangered species, the LPN calls for firm action from the public and from the government in the fight against the illegal use of poisons," read today’s statement.

Portugal to save €92 million per year with water reforms

moreiadasilvaThe environment minister said today that the reorganisation of Portugal's water supply industry will save €92 million per year by merging the existing regional supply companies.
 
The minister explained that "water rates will be 10% lower and sanitation rates down 16% compared to what was expected."

More people find work in Portugal

tractorplougingThe employment rate in the eurozone is creeping up, but at the slowest pace.

The rate in the region rose by 0.1% in first quarter of 2015 compared to the previous quarter.