---
title: "Portugal This Week: Inflation Eases to 3%, More Police in the Baixa, INEM Strike Dates Set"
description: "Portugal's week of 11–14 August 2026: inflation down to 3.0%, wages up 5.4%, extra policing in downtown Lisbon, INEM strike dates, and free events from the Algarve to Porto."
url: "https://ultimateportugal.com/posts/portugal-weekly-roundup-august-14"
author: "Rex McIntosh"
author_role: "Founder & Editor, Ultimate Portugal"
author_url: "https://ultimateportugal.com/authors/rex-mcintosh"
publisher: "Ultimate Portugal"
license: "Free to read and quote with attribution to Ultimate Portugal."
review_status: "dated-report"
type: "news"
published: 2026-08-14
updated: 2026-08-14
facts_last_verified: 2026-08-14
category: "News Roundup"
tags: ["news roundup", "inflation", "lisbon", "safety", "inem", "bureaucracy", "gira", "events", "algarve", "porto"]
---

# Portugal This Week: Inflation Eases to 3%, More Police in the Baixa, INEM Strike Dates Set

> Dated report. This article describes events and rules at the time reported. It is not maintained as current guidance. Review policy: https://ultimateportugal.com/corrections

## The short answer

The week of 11–14 August 2026, in one page: inflation eased to 3.0% in July, but wages (+5.4%) and new-housing construction costs (+7.2%) are rising faster. Lisbon put more police in the Baixa after a tourist was shot on Monday evening. INEM emergency technicians set strike days for 14 and 28 September. Registry-office backlogs worsened 13% in a month. And the weekend is full of free events — Sol da Caparica, street art in São Brás de Alportel, and open-air soul in the Algarve.

> Published 2026-08-14. News posts describe the rules as they stood on that date; the sources at the end are the primary record.

Inflation eased, but the things that decide whether Portugal feels affordable — wages, building costs, rent pressure — kept climbing. Lisbon answered Monday's shooting in the Baixa with more police on the street. And the emergency-services dispute now has strike dates. Here is the week of 11–14 August, sorted by what it means for you — whether you are planning a move, already living here, or visiting this month.

## What happened to prices this week?

Inflation is easing; the cost of building and employing people is not. INE's July numbers, published on Wednesday 12 August, put annual inflation at **3.0%** — down from 3.2% in June.

| Indicator (INE) | Latest | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Inflation, July | **3.0%** | 3.2% (June) |
| Core inflation (no energy, no unprocessed food), July | 2.6% | 2.5% (June) |
| Energy prices, July | 8.7% | 9.1% (June) |
| Labour costs per hour, Q2 | **+5.4%** | +5.3% (Q1) |
| New-housing construction costs, June | **+7.2%** | +6.9% (May) |

Two of those rows matter more than the headline. Labour costs rose **5.4%** in the second quarter — construction is the sector where they are rising fastest (+6.7%) — and building a new home cost **7.2%** more in June than a year earlier, with construction labour alone up 8.0%. Cheaper inflation does not mean cheaper housing: the cost pressure behind the rents and purchase prices in our [cost of living guide](https://ultimateportugal.com/guides/cost-of-living-portugal) has not gone anywhere.

One genuine reassurance for anyone who drives: ERSE, the energy regulator, has delivered a study to the energy minister — reported on 13 August — finding **no evidence** that Portuguese pump prices rise like a rocket and fall like a feather. Over the first seven months of 2026, prices at the pump tracked international refined-fuel costs. If you filled up cheaper this week, thank the [August fuel-tax discount](https://ultimateportugal.com/posts/portugal-fuel-tax-discount-august-10) — and the international market, not a change of heart at the forecourt.

## Is downtown Lisbon safe?

One violent incident, heavily policed since — and treat the Baixa as you would any busy European city centre. On Monday 10 August at about 18:15, a woman — a Swedish visitor of about 40, according to press reports cited by RTP — was shot on a crowded street in the Baixa and taken to Hospital de S. José. Two suspects fled by car; the Polícia Judiciária is investigating.

The Interior Ministry's response came within a day: PSP and Municipal Police patrols in the Baixa and other tourist-heavy areas are being reinforced, on top of a visible-presence operation that has been running **since June**. The ministry called gunfire in one of the city's most crowded zones something that "demands a firm response", and says the deployment will be maintained and adjusted as the situation develops.

For a visitor, the practical read: this was an incident whose suspects are reported to be linked to drug dealing, not a pattern of attacks on tourists — and the police presence in the centre is now heavier than it was last week. Our [Lisbon city hub](https://ultimateportugal.com/cities/lisbon) has the wider picture on the city.

## What is happening with ambulances and family doctors?

**INEM's emergency technicians have set strike days: 14 and 28 September.** The dispute is over the institute's new organic law, which the workers say pulls **100 ambulances** out of INEM's operational system — moving them to local health units, with some crews travelling in light vehicles instead of ambulances. Union head Rui Lázaro insists this is not about pay: he calls it a "dismantling" of INEM. The technicians are also demanding the resignation of the institute's president. If you live here, note the dates.

The week's health bright spot is at the other end of the country: the ULS do Nordeste became the first health unit in Portugal's interior and border zone where **every registered user has a family doctor** — 82 GPs with assigned patient lists covering 126,080 people, with user-initiated appointments inside 15 days (five at USF health units). If you are weighing a move to the far northeast, primary care there now starts with an assigned doctor rather than a waiting list.

## Why are documents taking so long?

Registry-office backlogs got worse again. The registry workers' union STRN, citing the IRN's own statistics, says the total backlog across Portugal's conservatórias grew **13%** between May and June — from 40,947 to 46,289 accumulated days of delay. In June, 237 of Portugal's 404 conservatórias (registry offices) — 58.66%, on the union's arithmetic — were running late, and the car-registration backlog more than doubled in a month, from 845 to 1,738 days. The union blames staffing: by its count the service is short 270 registrars and 2,731 registry officers. If you are waiting on a property registration, a car transfer or a civil-registry certificate, build slack into your plans and keep proof of your submission date.

The same week delivered a blunt reminder of why the slow, official queue is the only queue worth standing in: a court sentenced a former SEF employee in Leiria to **10 years in prison** for running a paid legalisation scheme. More than 150 immigrants — most of them Brazilian nationals — paid between €500 and €2,000 for residence papers built on false documents. A lawyer in the same case received six years and eight months. Anyone promising to "expedite" your residency for a fee is describing a crime. The legal route, delays and all, is mapped in our [AIMA appointments guide](https://ultimateportugal.com/guides/aima-residency-appointments).

## What changed for getting around Lisbon?

If Gira docks near you look wrecked, this is why: Lisbon's city hall says the shared-bike network has suffered more than **700 acts of vandalism this year**: over 1,400 docks destroyed and 1,000 bikes ripped from their stations, with losses of around €400,000 since the current wave began in late 2025 — on top of more than €3 million in accumulated damage since 2017. The council calls the effect on service availability "devastating", so expect missing bikes and dead stations while repairs catch up.

Shared e-scooters, meanwhile, are in a political fight, not a legal one. The Automobile Club of Portugal wants Lisbon to hold a **referendum** on whether to stop authorising shared scooters when current permits expire; Bolt, Lime and Byrd counter that theirs is the most regulated fleet in the city and point to police figures — 623 accidents involving bicycles and e-scooters nationwide in the first four months of 2025, 3.6% of all road accidents, none fatal, a count that lumps in private bikes and scooters. Nothing is banned and nothing is decided; scooters work today exactly as described in [getting around Portugal](https://ultimateportugal.com/guides/getting-around-portugal).

## What's on this weekend (and later)?

- **Sol da Caparica** — the lusophone music festival's 11th edition runs **13–16 August** at Costa da Caparica (gates opened at 16:00 on day one), this year with water-saving measures while Almada's water alert runs to 31 August.
- **Calçadas – A Arte Sai à Rua** — São Brás de Alportel's historic centre fills with dance, street art, photography, literature and street food **tonight, Friday 14 August, 20:00–01:00**. Free.
- **Soul Powerhouse** — the Algarve Jazz Orchestra and Australian singer Florelie Escano play free open-air soul and Motown: **Tavira tonight (22:00), Carvoeiro Saturday 15th (22:00), Ferragudo on the 21st (22:00) and Monchique on the 22nd (21:30)**.
- **26 VOLTS, Porto** — the international performing-arts meeting returns to the former Freixo power station **8–11 September**, artists from seven countries, free with ticket pickup from 19:00.
- **Guimarães** — Portugal's birthplace city holds the European Commission's **European Green Capital 2026** title: a good excuse to add it to a northern itinerary this year.
- **Keep your eclipse glasses.** After [Wednesday's total eclipse](https://ultimateportugal.com/posts/portugal-total-eclipse-august-12), the sky is not done: a deep **partial lunar eclipse** comes in the early hours of 28 August, visible from Portugal — no glasses needed for lunar eclipses. The next *total* solar eclipse's path crosses southern Spain and misses Portugal, so store the glasses unscratched (NASA's advice: damaged glasses go in the bin, and never point them through binoculars, telescopes or cameras).

## What should you do next?

- Budgeting a move while wages and building costs climb? Re-run your numbers against [the cost of living in Portugal](https://ultimateportugal.com/guides/cost-of-living-portugal) — and verify rents against live listings, not last year's blog posts.
- Waiting on AIMA or the registries? [How AIMA appointments actually work](https://ultimateportugal.com/guides/aima-residency-appointments) explains the queue — and why no fixer can legally jump it.
- Planning to get around without a car? [Getting around Portugal](https://ultimateportugal.com/guides/getting-around-portugal) covers trains, coaches and city transit, including Lisbon's shared bikes and scooters.
- Heading to Lisbon this month? Our [Lisbon city hub](https://ultimateportugal.com/cities/lisbon) has the balanced picture on safety, cost and neighbourhoods.

Facts above are as reported on 11–14 August 2026 by the sources listed below; strike dates, event times and police deployments can change — check the linked source before you plan around any of them.

## Sources

- [RTP/Lusa — Inflação desacelera para 3% em julho](https://www.rtp.pt/noticias/economia/inflacao-desacelera-para-3-em-julho_n1758992) — INE's July 2026 CPI, published 12 August: headline 3.0% (3.2% in June), core 2.6% (2.5%), energy 8.7% (9.1%), unprocessed food 3.7% (5.1%).
- [RTP/Lusa — Custo do trabalho aumenta 5,4% no 2.º trimestre](https://www.rtp.pt/noticias/economia/custo-do-trabalho-aumenta-54-no-2o-trimestre_n1759215) — INE's Labour Cost Index, Q2 2026: +5.4% year on year (Q1: +5.3%); wage costs +5.4%; average cost per worker +4.9%; biggest rise in construction (+6.7%), smallest average-cost rise in public administration (+4.4%).
- [Observador/Lusa — Custos de construção de casas novas sobem 7,2% em junho](https://observador.pt/2026/08/10/custos-de-construcao-de-casas-novas-sobem-72-em-junho/) — INE new-housing construction cost index, June 2026: +7.2% year on year (0.3 pp above May), labour +8.0%, materials +6.5%.
- [Observador — Estudo do regulador afasta efeito 'foguete-pluma' nos combustíveis](https://observador.pt/2026/08/13/estudo-do-regulador-afasta-efeito-foguete-pluma-nos-combustiveis-precos-nao-sobem-sistematicamente-mais-depressa-do-que-descem/) — ERSE study delivered to the energy minister: no evidence of a persistent rocket-and-feather effect; pump prices tracked international refined-fuel quotations over the first seven months of 2026.
- [RTP/Lusa — PSP e Polícia Municipal reforçam policiamento na baixa lisboeta](https://www.rtp.pt/noticias/pais/psp-e-policia-municipal-reforcam-policiamento-e-fiscalizacao-na-baixa-lisboeta_n1758875) — The Monday 18:15 Baixa shooting (Swedish woman of about 40, taken to Hospital de S. José, two suspects fled, PJ investigating) and the Interior Ministry's response: reinforced PSP and Municipal Police presence, stepped up since June and to be maintained.
- [RTP/Lusa — Técnicos do INEM avançam para greve a 14 e 28 de setembro](https://www.rtp.pt/noticias/pais/contra-desmantelamento-tecnicos-do-inem-avancam-para-greve-nos-dias-14-e-28-de-setembro_n1759291) — Strike days 14 and 28 September against INEM's new organic law; the union says it withdraws 100 ambulances from INEM's operational system, moving them to local health units, with crews travelling in light vehicles; union head Rui Lázaro calls it 'dismantling', not a pay dispute.
- [Observador/Lusa — ULS do Nordeste com 100% de cobertura de médico de família](https://observador.pt/2026/08/10/uls-do-nordeste-com-100-de-cobertura-de-medico-de-familia/) — First interior/border health unit where every registered user has a family doctor: 82 GPs with assigned lists for 126,080 users; user-initiated appointments within 15 days, 5 at USFs.
- [Observador/Lusa — Atrasos nas conservatórias agravaram-se 13% entre maio e junho](https://observador.pt/2026/08/10/atrasos-nas-conservatorias-agravaram-se-13-entre-maio-e-junho-e-sindicato-fala-em-descalabro-inequivoco/) — STRN union, citing official IRN statistics: backlog days up 13.05% May–June (40,947 → 46,289); 237 of 404 registry offices (58.66%) with delays; car-registration backlog days more than doubled (845 → 1,738); union counts 270 missing registrars and 2,731 missing registry officers.
- [SOL — Ex-funcionária do SEF condenada a 10 anos por facilitar legalização de imigrantes](https://sol.iol.pt/sociedade/noticias/ex-funcionaria-do-sef-condenada-a-10-anos-por-facilitar-legalizacao-de-imigrantes/20260813/6a7daf970cf2b42132dbd9d1) — 10-year sentence for a former SEF employee in Leiria; more than 150 immigrants, most Brazilian, paid €500–€2,000 for residence papers obtained with false documents; a lawyer in the same case got 6 years 8 months, two other defendants suspended sentences.
- [Observador/Lusa — Rede Gira em Lisboa com 'avultados prejuízos' de 400 mil euros](https://observador.pt/2026/08/13/mil-bicicletas-arrancadas-e-docas-destruidas-rede-gira-em-lisboa-com-avultados-prejuizos-de-400-mil-euros/) — City-hall figures: 1,400+ docks destroyed and 1,000 bikes ripped out in 700+ acts of vandalism this year (~€400,000 in losses since the wave began in late 2025); 12,000+ repairs and over €3 million in accumulated losses 2017–2025.
- [ECO News — Scooter operators oppose Lisbon ban referendum plan](https://econews.pt/2026/08/08/scooter-operators-oppose-lisbon-ban-referendum-plan/) — ACP's proposed municipal referendum on ending shared e-scooter authorisations when permits expire; Bolt, Lime and Byrd's objections and the accident figures they cite (623 accidents involving bicycles and e-scooters in Jan–Apr 2025, 3.6% of road accidents, no fatalities — nationwide, bikes and private scooters included).
- [Observador/Lusa — O Sol da Caparica arranca com medidas para poupar água](https://observador.pt/2026/08/11/festival-o-sol-da-caparica-arranca-quinta-feira-com-medidas-para-poupar-agua/) — 11th edition, 13–16 August, Costa da Caparica; gates at 16:00; water-saving measures during Almada's water alert (in force since early July, extended to 31 August).
- [Câmara Municipal de São Brás de Alportel — Calçadas: A Arte Sai à Rua](https://www.cm-sbras.pt/pt/agenda/23979/calcadas---a-arte-sai-a-rua.aspx) — Official event page: 14 August, 20:00–01:00, historic centre; dance, visual arts, street entertainment, photography, literature, petiscos and street food; free.
- [Postal — Jazz, soul e funk marcam programação de agosto da Orquestra de Jazz do Algarve](https://postal.pt/nacional/jazz-soul-e-funk-marcam-programacao-de-agosto-da-orquestra-de-jazz-do-algarve/) — Soul Powerhouse free open-air dates with Florelie Escano: Tavira 14 Aug 22:00 (Praça da República), Carvoeiro 15 Aug 22:00 (Largo da Praia), Ferragudo 21 Aug 22:00 (Largo Rainha D. Leonor), Monchique 22 Aug 21:30 (Anfiteatro da Vila); all the orchestra's August concerts are free.
- [Observador/Lusa — 26 VOLTS regressa ao Porto de 8 a 11 de setembro](https://observador.pt/2026/08/13/encontro-de-artes-performativas-26-volts-regressa-ao-porto-de-8-a-11-setembro/) — International performing-arts meeting at the former Central Termoelétrica do Freixo, Porto, 8–11 September; artists from seven countries; free entry with ticket pickup from 19:00.
- [European Commission — European Green Capital Award](https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/urban-environment/european-green-capital-award_en) — The Commission's award page, currently fronted by Guimarães as European Green Capital 2026.
- [Observador — Não deite os óculos fora: até ao fim de 2027 há muitos eclipses](https://observador.pt/especiais/nao-deite-os-oculos-fora-ate-ao-fim-de-2027-ainda-vamos-ter-quase-toda-a-familia-dos-eclipses/) — Eclipse calendar to end-2027: a deep partial lunar eclipse in the early hours of 28 August visible from Portugal (no glasses needed for lunar eclipses); the next total solar eclipse's totality path crosses southern Spain and misses Portugal; NASA's advice to discard scratched glasses and never use them with binoculars, telescopes or cameras.

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