Welcome to the Week em Breve, a wrap-up of important Portuguese news to keep you up to date and in the know.
Storm Claudia causes flooding, power outages and three deaths in Portugal
Several days of extreme weather caused by storm Claudia has killed three and injured dozens across Portugal, Reuters reports.
An elderly couple were killed by flooding at their home in Seixal on Thursday, and an 85-year-old British woman died after a tornado hit Albufeira on Saturday, according to the newswire.
Twenty-eight others were also injured in Albufeira, with two requiring hospital treatment.
The storms also caused significant damage to property, with Lisbon’s Santa Apolónia station losing its roof to high winds on Wednesday morning, according to Público.
After tearing through Portugal and parts of Spain, storm Claudia hit Britain and Ireland, causing “significant flooding,” Reuters reports.
General strike called for December 11
The General Union of Workers (União Geral de Trabalhadores, UGT) and the General Confederation of the Portuguese Workers (Confederação Geral dos Trabalhadores Portugueses, CGTP) have joined forces for a general strike on December 11 in response to a draft reform of labour legislation.
This would be the first general strike to bring the two unions together in over 10 years, according to The Portugal News.
The government claims that the more than 100 proposed changes to labor laws will boost productivity, but critics argue it will make employment less secure, allow for outsourcing, and cut compassionate leave.
On Thursday, the government signalled that it was open to talks, with Minister for Cabinet Affairs António Leitão Amaro saying during a news briefing that “the government is showing its real, true, and concrete openness to dialogue,” Reuters reports.
After UGT announced that it would join the strike action, leader Mário Mourão said the strike could be cancelled if the government offered a reform plan that considered union proposals and negotiated without red lines, according to the newswire.
Socialist Party bypasses president to send nationality law to constitutional court
Portugal’s Socialist Party (Partido Socialista, PS) has invoked a little-used parliamentary prerogative to try to send the recently approved Nationality Law to the Constitutional Court for preventive review, Expresso reports.
The process — used only twice in the court’s 42-year history — temporarily suspends the implementation of the Nationality Law, according to the publication
The Nationality Law would see residency requirements to acquire citizenship extended to SEVEN years for citizens of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa – CPLP) and the European Union, and 10 years for everyone else.
Wages in Portugal: going up but still too low
Wages in Portugal grew by 7% in 2024, more than the 5.2% European Union average, but they remain the 10th lowest in the bloc, according to Eurostat data reported by The Portugal News.
The average full-time salary in Portugal was just €24,818 last year, significantly less than the EU median of €39,800.
Countries with lower average annual salaries than Portugal include Czechia (€23,998), Croatia (€23,446), Latvia (€22,262), Poland (€21,246), Romania (€21,108), Slovakia (€20,287), Hungary (€18,461), Greece (€17,954) and Bulgaria (€15,387).
Speaking at the Eurogroup meeting in Brussels, Minister of Finance Joaquim Miranda Sarmento justified the low wages, saying: “The Portuguese economy, unfortunately, has always been a less advanced economy than a substantial part of the economies of the European Union,” according to The Portugal News.
House prices are up, with foreign buyers paying more
House prices saw a 19% year-on-year increase in the second quarter of 2025, with the national median price hitting €2,065 per m2, according to National Institute of Statistics (INE) figures reported by idealista.
The highest prices were still in Lisbon, with a median of €4,865 per m2, while Porto hit €3,309 per m2.
Importantly, in both cities, foreign tax-residents paid more than domestic buyers — 61.9% more for Grande Lisboa, according to the publication.
This, according to idealista, shows how “international demand is reshaping budgets.”
Lisbon’s Navegante travel pass can now be purchased online
Gone are the days of queuing in the Marquês de Pombal metro station, with Lisbon’s travel card finally available for online purchase, according to The Portugal News.
Carris announced that the Navegante travel cards can now be bought following a few “simple” steps on their website, according to the publication. You can pay with bank card or MB WAY and expect your travel pass in three to five days.
Created in 2019, Navegante passes can be used across the Carris network and also provide free travel for youths up to 23.
