Luís Montenegro speaking at a podium with the Portuguese Republic emblem

Politics 19 July 2026

Montenegro says immigration is 'solved' — a report called it an 'obsession' the same day

In the State of the Nation debate, PM Luís Montenegro claimed his government 'solved Portugal's immigration problem'. An ISCTE report answered with 'obsession'.

It was the most quoted line of the State of the Nation debate: “This government solved Portugal’s immigration problem.” Prime Minister Luís Montenegro said it in parliament, claiming a “policy of regulation” that, in his words, dignifies the lives of those who arrive — and accusing the Socialists of “hiding” the reality his government inherited.

What did Montenegro say about immigration?

The prime minister presented the file as closed: tighter borders, backlogs being processed, and new rules for entering and staying in the country. In the same debate he denied any “chaos” in the national exams saga and defended his government’s overall record, in a parliament where the latest polls show a tight three-way race and every soundbite counts towards the next electoral cycle.

The pushback arrived before the day was out — and not only from the opposition benches. An annual report by ISCTE’s Institute for Public and Social Policies, coordinated by former Socialist minister Pedro Adão e Silva, described the government’s record in this area as an “obsession with immigration”. The opposition made the same point in different registers: for the Socialists, Portuguese people are “worse off” and the topic is a smokescreen; for Chega, the problem is the opposite — not enough control.

Between the declared victory and the diagnosed obsession, some facts remain on the ground: AIMA is still working through a sizeable queue of pending cases, and the new rules — from family reunification to citizenship — are only now starting to produce measurable effects. The government’s official statements are on the Portuguese government portal, and the full debate record sits on the parliament’s website.

“Solved” is a strong word in politics. If the file really is closed, the coming months will confirm it — or reopen it.

By Tomás Vasconcelos

Image: Agência Lusa / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)

Politics 18 July 2026

Portugal's new childbirth law drops the term 'obstetric violence' — here's what it says instead

Portugal's parliament approved a new law on pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum rights that removes the term obstetric violence, adds mental-health support and creates a national oversight council.

The phrase that named years of debate has been written out of the law. Portugal's parliament approved on Friday a replacement text that substantially rewrites the law on rights in preconception, medically assisted reproduction, pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period — and the most talked-about change is one of vocabulary: "obstetric violence" becomes "inadequate, disrespectful or non-consensual interventions". More than the name, the package of…

André Ventura speaking in the Portuguese Parliament

Politics 18 July 2026

Ventura wants Luís Neves out of government — and has now put it in writing

Chega leader André Ventura sent Portugal's PM a letter arguing interior minister Luís Neves compromises trust in institutions, as police open a new probe touching the minister's contractor.

André Ventura has moved from speeches to headed paper. The Chega leader sent Prime Minister Luís Montenegro a letter arguing that keeping Luís Neves at the interior ministry "compromises trust in institutions", and accusing the government of failing to act on the gravity of the suspicions piling up around the minister. In parallel, he publicly urged Neves to walk "on his own two feet" — and, failing that, for the prime minister to show "political…

Politics 18 July 2026

Russia sanctions are moving again in Washington — and Trump says he's on board

The US Senate reached a deal with the White House on the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026, with tariffs of up to 100% on the biggest buyers of Russian oil and gas.

After months stuck in the mud, the Russia sanctions package is moving again in Washington — and this time with the White House on board. A bipartisan group of senators reached agreement with the administration on a revised version of the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026, and Trump confirmed this week that he supports the bill. The heart of the text is so-called secondary sanctions: rather than punishing only Moscow, the bill authorises the president to slap…

Politics 17 July 2026

Portugal's fiscal watchdog is getting more teeth — and the budget will follow Brussels' new playbook

The Government approved two bills revising the budget framework law and strengthening the independence of the Public Finance Council, aligning Portugal's budget process with the EU's new economic governance rules.

The referee of Portugal's public accounts is getting a louder whistle. The cabinet approved two bills on Friday, now headed to parliament: one revises the Budget Framework Law — the rulebook for how the state budget is drawn up — and the other rewrites the statutes of the Public Finance Council (CFP), strengthening the powers and independence of the body that audits the country's numbers. The core goal is to align the Portuguese budget process with the…

Politics 17 July 2026

Portugal's single social benefit just cleared its second-to-last hurdle — the President signed off

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Portugal's Single Social Benefit cleared its second-to-last hurdle on Friday. President António José Seguro promulgated the legislative authorisation parliament granted the Government to create the PSU, announcing it in a short note on the Presidency's website with no comment on the diploma's content. With the President's signature, the ball is back with the Council of Ministers. It's the reform that merges 13 non-contributory social benefits — including…

Politics 17 July 2026

The Corgo railway line could come back — Portugal's parliament wants trains again between Régua and Chaves

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The Corgo railway line is back on Portugal's political map: parliament this Friday approved a set of resolutions recommending that the government fully reopen the railway that once linked Régua to Vila Real and Chaves, closed for more than fifteen years. The initiatives came from parties that rarely vote together — Chega, Livre, the Left Bloc and the Communists — and passed with differing tallies, but with one telling detail: not a single party voted…

Politics 17 July 2026

Zelensky sacked Fedorov and Kyiv took to the streets demanding him back

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Some cabinet reshuffles slip by unnoticed. This one did not. When Volodymyr Zelensky removed Mykhailo Fedorov as defence minister, more than a thousand people filled Kyiv's central square waving Ukrainian and EU flags, chanting "shame" and calling for the minister's return. Fedorov is the young face of Ukraine's digital transformation — the man who moved state services into an app and made drones central to the war effort. Lawmakers, soldiers and civil…

Politics 17 July 2026

New polls in Portugal keep PS ahead — while AD and Chega fight over second by decimals

Two polls published on 16 July put PS in front: Intercampus has 23.3% against AD's 20% and Chega's 19.4%, while the Catholic University has PS and AD tied at 29%. Housing, health and education weigh on the government's ratings.

Two polls on the same day, two different photographs of the country — and one thing in common: PS stays in front. Intercampus, with fieldwork from 9 to 14 July, gives the Socialists 23.3% of voting intentions, down a point from June. The news is behind them: AD reclaims second place with 20% and Chega slips to third with 19.4% — a statistical tie where the podium order changes with the week. That the race is tighter than it looks. The Catholic…

Politics 16 July 2026

The UK is building its first ballistic missile in half a century — and Ukraine gets it first, in 2027

London has signed contracts to develop Britain's first ballistic missile in over 50 years, with pared-down specifications so it can reach Ukraine as early as 2027, part of a wider European deep-strike push.

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Politics 16 July 2026

Montenegro survived the State of the Nation debate — and Ventura dared him to call a confidence vote

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Luís Montenegro walked into parliament's last big debate before the summer break with two fires burning — the national exams fiasco and his minister's invoices — and walked out having extinguished neither, but without burning himself further. Thursday's State of the Nation debate was precisely the arm-wrestle everyone expected after a full week of warm-up. The prime minister opened by accusing the opposition of political opportunism and defending the…

Politics 16 July 2026

The Pentagon will test troops over 30 for testosterone, on Hegseth's orders

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered annual testosterone screening for service members aged 30 and over, with optional replacement therapy. He calls it a bet on 'lethality' — doctors have questions.

The Pentagon has decided the next frontier of military readiness is measured by the milligram. Pete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, announced that all service members over 30 will get annual testosterone screening, folded into the periodic health assessment troops already complete every year. Screening becomes mandatory from age 30 as part of the annual check-up; younger troops can request the test voluntarily. Any treatment that follows — including…

Politics 16 July 2026

Luis Neves releases 108 invoices — and his wife's company sits at the centre of them

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Politics 15 July 2026

Bloco wants 30% tree cover in every neighbourhood by 2035, and nobody living further than 300 metres from a park

Portugal's Bloco de Esquerda has filed a bill requiring urban neighbourhoods to reach 30% tree canopy by 2035 and guaranteeing a quality green space within 300 metres of every home.

The idea fits in one sentence: nobody should live more than 300 metres from a decent tree. On Tuesday, Bloco de Esquerda filed a bill in parliament trying to turn that into law. Two targets, both for 2035. First: no consolidated residential area may have less than 30% of its surface under tree canopy. Second: nobody should live more than 300 metres from a quality green space. Where hitting 30% is physically impossible — and in plenty of historic centres…

Politics 15 July 2026

Montenegro brings a war on red tape to the State of the Nation debate. The opposition is bringing the exams

Portugal's State of the Nation debate is on Thursday 16 July, the last before the summer break. Montenegro promises to stay the course on education and health; the opposition wants to talk about the exam failure.

Portugal's last political debate before the summer break lands this Thursday, 16 July, and there is very little chance of it being quiet. The State of the Nation debate starts at 3.30pm, opens with up to 30 minutes from Luís Montenegro and runs roughly four hours, with every parliamentary group getting its questions in and the Government closing. Montenegro has already picked his script. The day before, he promised to keep the education and health reforms…