Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 17^th July 2024

Good afternoon. Many of us will be thinking of our holidays and with millions of people currently and planning to travel outside of Europe, it is wise to know what Consular protection exists in case something goes wrong. Embassies and consulates are there to help.

An EU citizen is unrepresented if there is no embassy or consulate from his or her own Member State present in the country. An EU citizen can also be unrepresented if the embassy or consulate established locally is unable for any reason to provide consular protection, for example because it is far away from where the EU citizen is located. Anyway it is best to plan ahead so before starting your holiday ensure you have the contact details of the embassy/consulate of your country, so you can contact them without delay.

The help that may be provided by embassies/consulates of (other) EU Member States include:assistance in cases of lost or stolen passport or ID card where the embassy can issue emergency travel documents – single-journey documents intended to allow you to return home. In the case of arrest or detention: once contacted, the embassy may provide information on the local legal system, or help you find a lawyer. Being victim of a crime: someone from the embassy may assist you and advise on the next steps. In case of serious accident or illness: staff may help contact your insurance company, family, or friends for you if you end up in hospital. Relief and repatriation in case of an emergency: the embassy may be able to help be evacuated, for example in case of a conflict, a natural disaster or civil unrest, and lastly death, staff may help notify next of kin and help you register a death.

In the last week we have seen the fire danger at VERY HIGH AND MAXIMUM levels in UP TO 75 municipalities. The main areas are the Algarve, parts of centre and parts of north east. This is so far the highest of the year. As we have mentioned many times before, with these levels there are various restrictions in place, particularly on the use on bonfires, burning of cut and piled waste for example. It is very important that these restrictions are followed. We publish these every morning on Facebook between 0730 hrs and 0800 hrs for all to see.

We also publish on what is known as the Fire weather Index or FWI for short. The FWI is a model-based index used worldwide to estimate fire danger. It indicates intensity of potential fires by combining the rate of fire spread with the amount of fuel (vegetation) being consumed, taking into account temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, precipitation, drought conditions, fuel availability, vegetation characteristics and topography.

‘Critical’ fires are defined as those covering an area greater than 10,000 ha and are challenging to extinguish until air temperatures fall and precipitation increases. They are typically associated with ‘extreme’ fire danger, which is an FWI of over 50. Last Saturday. A week ago about one third of the mainland in the south east was over 50 which is extreme level. Some of the major fires in 2017, the Monchique fire of 2018, Odemira fire of 2023 and Gambalas fire of 2022 all took place when the FWI was at or over this level. Being aware of this BEFORE a fire breaks out is very important, so we can be prepared and take appropriate action.

Air temperatures will start to rise from Tuesday onwards across the country. Algarve and Alentejo will be the regions with the highest temperatures. Friday will be the hottest day.

After a week with temperatures below normal for the season, a week of heat is coming. In some places, temperatures will reach over 40C by Friday according to IPMA. After a roller coaster weather, which is not so normal for summer, it seems that the heat is finally going to arrive. “The district capitals of Alentejo, therefore, Évora, Beja, and possibly Portalegre, may record temperatures of 37ºC or more. The Algarve may record very high values”, explains Patrícia Gomes, meteorologist at IPMA. A reminder therefore when exercising or working outdoors to drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration.

Our team wishes you a good week ahead.

News

Citizens’ Shops to expand to 95 by 2026

Almada, Setúbal, 16 Jul 2024 (Lusa) – The Minister of Youth and Modernization announced today that Citizen Shops will be expanded to 95 by 2026 and that the Advisory Council of the Agency for Administrative Modernization (AMA) will be reactivated in September.

Margarida Balseiro Lopes was speaking at the end of the meeting of the first Council of Ministers dedicated to Digital Transition and Modernization, which took place today at the Faculty of Science and Technology of Universidade Nova (Nova FCT), in Almada.

“In the digital government model, I draw attention to a body that has existed in law for many years” and that “we consider essential to reactivate in September, which is the AMA Advisory Council”, said the minister.

At this moment, “today, we have 72 Citizen’s Shops and our commitment is to have 95 Citizen’s Shops by 2026”, announced Margarida Balseiro Lopes.

One of the “great advantages” of Citizens’ Shops is, according to the minister, “finding in the same place a group” of entities, from Finance to Social Security, among others.

“It is essential that this Advisory Council” meets “to guarantee opening hours” and that the way in which the service is provided to citizens is “exactly the same, regardless of the counter and the entity providing the service”, stressed the minister.

The Government today approved 15 measures to simplify and reduce administrative bureaucracy, maintaining the name Simplex which, according to the minister, is a “well-chosen” name.

Gov.pt portal launched in September and implementation in the 1st quarter of 2025

Almada, Setúbal, 16 Jul 2024 (Lusa) – The single digital services portal gov.pt will be launched in September and the application will take place in the first quarter, the Minister of Modernization announced today, adding that a measure was approved that limits the creation of portals in the Public Administration.

“We will have a citizen entry point here, at gov.pt, which will be launched in September and where we will have a set of services that citizens will be able to access”, said the Minister of Youth and Modernization, Margarida Balseiro Lopes, who was speaking at the end of the meeting of the first Council of Ministers dedicated to Digital Transition and Modernization, which took place today at the Faculty of Science and Technology of Universidade Nova (Nova FCT), in Almada.

The minister guaranteed that she will not close the Tax Authority (AT) website.

“What we have to ensure is that citizens enter gov.pt and without realizing it” are having “access to a certain service” from AT without there being a disruption in access to that service, he said.

Furthermore, the citizen will have a reserved area with the entire history of interactions he/she has had.

From September, the State’s digital services telephone service will be available in English.

Furthermore, “a decree-law was approved today that establishes such important rules as limiting the creation of more portals and more applications in the sphere of Public Administration”, he said.

Margarida Balseiro Lopes argued that it is essential to standardize the customer service experience for citizens, both on the website and in stores, and to implement the Citizen Card and the Digital Mobile Key (CMD) as “unique authentication methods”

All of this will not be done “overnight”, but in “several stages”, with the gov.pt portal being launched in September, which will already have some services included on that site, with more gradually being added over time.