Archives: Situation Reports

Portugal Situation Report Wednesday 13^th April 2022

Introduction

Let us start with some good news – That is according to IPMA forecasts, by the Easter weekend temperatures in some parts of the mainland may reach 28C.  This will be welcomed by many tourists that will be in Portugal over Easter and excellent news for the tourism industry. We will as normal keep you up to date as the weekend approaches.

Last week I was privileged to visit the 112 call centre in Lisbon which handles all calls on the mainland south of Santarem. It was an extremely interesting visit and gave me the opportunity to see how calls were handled. During my 45 minutes there some 150 calls were received. Three essential points were made during the visit; one ensuring that calls are for genuine emergencies as some 65% of calls received are non-emergency. The second point is that it is vital that callers continue to wait until the call in answered. This may take time when there are many calls – minutes rather than seconds. All incoming calls are in a queuing system, so if you terminate a call and call again a few minutes later, you will be at the back of a queue.

The third point is to remain calm – speak clearly and slowly. This is easier said than done when a fire is raging towards your home! However it is a fact that in an emergency people are naturally under considerable stress and when speaking in a different language to the operator’s native tongue, sometimes with strong regional accents, effective communication is more challenging.

APAV, the victims support organisation in Portugal, have just produced their Annual Statistical report for 2021. Of the cases reported to them during the year almost 77% were for domestic violence including 19% where the victim was a man.  We posted the report yesterday.

Unfortunately domestic violence is one of the highest reported crimes in Portugal and we await Government’s Annual crime report (RASI) which is normally published around this time. We are working with APAV regarding holding a seminar in the Algarve on this subject and will publish more details in due course. The APAV report can be read here: https://apav.pt/apav_v3/images/press/Relatorio_Anual_2021.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2jvcr8pFkDoYDi5K00JvaVrCHjgkEs7g8NsXudDwtlzqK2wg9qI6nIrq8

Turning to the earthquake situation in São Jorge Island in the Azores, for the second consecutive night, the island of São Jorge did not register any tremors felt by the population, the Azores Seismovolcanic Information and Surveillance Centre (CIVISA) reported yesterday. About 240 earthquakes felt by the population have been identified since the beginning of the crisis, on March 19. The island maintains the volcanic alert level V4 (threat of eruption) out of a total of seven, where V0 means “state of rest” and V6 “eruption in progress”. Let us hope this can be reduced soon.

A reminder that yesterday the Government extended the alert situation due to the covid-19 pandemic until April 22, according to a statement from the Council of Ministers. “The resolution was approved extending the declaration of the alert situation, within the scope of the covid-19 disease pandemic, until 23:59 on April 22, 2022”, says the statement.

According to the Government, the resolution “keeps the measures currently in force unchanged”. Among the measures in force is the mandatory use of a mask in public indoor spaces, health services and transport. For those who do not have the booster dose of the vaccine against covid-19, the negative test for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus remains mandatory in visits to homes and health establishments, taking into account that they are groups of special vulnerability.

With that have a safe day

Covid-19

Infarmed suspends the sale of surgical masks from two manufacturers

Surgical masks from two manufacturers with improper CE marking in the national market were identified. Infarmed explained that all legal requirements applicable at European level were not met, including the fact that the technical documentation is incomplete.

As announced by the National Authority for Medicines and Health Products, surgical masks type IIR, from the manufacturers Borgstena Textile Portugal, Lda, and Plasfer – Indústria e Comércio, Lda have been identified on the national market. Infarmed explains that in both cases the masks have improper CE marking, as there is no compliance with all the legal requirements applicable at European level, including the fact that the technical documentation is incomplete.

As a preventive measure, Infarmed ordered the immediate suspension of commercialization and withdrawal from the market. 

News

Independent commission has already received 290 testimonies of sexual abuse in the church

The independent Commission created in January to investigate sexual abuse in the Portuguese Catholic Church has already received 290 valid testimonies from victims and 16 cases have already been referred to the Public Ministry.

In an assessment of the first three months of work, held this Tuesday at a press conference at the Calouste Gunlbenkian Foundation, in Lisbon, the former Minister of Justice Álvaro Laborinho Lúcio, who is a member of the Commission, stated that among the 290 validated testimonies, 16 are still did not prescribe and, therefore, were sent to the Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Created in January to investigate sexual abuse in the Catholic Church in Portugal, the Independent Commission had already received 214 testimonies from victims, aged between 15 and 88, in the first month of activity.

Complaints and testimonies can reach the commission by completing an online survey at darvozaosilencio.org , by calling +351917110000 (daily between 10:00 am and 8:00 pm), by email, at geral@darvozaosilencio.org and by letter to “Commissão Independente”, Apartado 012079, EC Picoas 1061-011 Lisbon.

By the end of the year, the commission intends to collect testimonies and complaints from people who have suffered abuse in childhood and adolescence, up to the age of 18. At the end of its work, a report will be prepared, to be delivered to the Portuguese Episcopal Conference (CEP), which will decide what actions to take.

Portuguese Consulate in Shanghai offers assistance to Portuguese in difficulties with the lockdown due to covid-19

Consular help is made available to Portuguese living in the Chinese city, where residents are complaining about food deliveries and other needs

The Portuguese consulate in Shanghai on Tuesday encouraged Portuguese citizens based there to seek consular assistance if they encounter difficulties, given the lockdown measures imposed in the Chinese city, due to an outbreak of covid-19

In a statement, the diplomatic representation warned that even asymptomatic cases are placed in quarantine centers designated by Chinese authorities, a measure that has resulted in tens of thousands of cases being isolated in makeshift facilities.

“From what has been shared by the [Chinese] authorities, people who are in the quarantine centers will have to test negative for covid-19 there a certain number of times until they can be discharged”, reads the note issued by the Ministry of Health.

“Although this consulate general cannot prevent this process, as it is the exclusive competence of the Chinese authorities, if you are in this situation we encourage you to call the emergency number of this Consulate General: 159 2155 3994”, he said.

China continues to react to Covid-19 outbreaks with strict measures, as part of the ‘zero cases’ strategy, despite rising economic and social costs.

These measures include isolating all those infected in designated facilities and locking down entire cities, including closing supermarkets.

Shanghai authorities said they are securing daily supplies for residents following complaints about food deliveries and other necessities. Regarding the problems related to the food supply, the consulate acknowledged that there have been “many difficulties”. The diplomatic representation recommended that e-commerce platforms be used to obtain essential goods, but recalled that delivery can take up to three days.

More than 640 fines in operation on seat belts and child seats

Lisbon, 12 Apr 2022 (Lusa) – The GNR registered more than 640 administrative offenses for lack or incorrect use of seat belts and/or child seats in an operation that took place last week and inspected more than 17,000 drivers.

In a statement, the GNR explains that during the ‘RoadPol – Seatbelt’ operation, aimed at the use of seat belts and a child restraint system, it took place between April 4th and 10th throughout the mainland and resulted in 646 administrative offenses .

In total, 557 were for lack or incorrect use of seat belts and 89 for lack or incorrect use of seat belts and/or child restraint system, he adds.

In this operation, the military of the Territorial Commands and the National Traffic Unit (UNT) inspected 17,158 drivers.

Portugal will “soon” send more than 99 tons of medical and military material

The Defence Minister reaffirmed “Portugal’s solidarity and support for the Ukrainian resistance against Russian aggression”.

Portugal will “soon” send more than 99 tons of medical and military material to Ukraine, Defense Minister Helena Carreiras said on Monday in a note on the social network Twitter.

In the publication in which the minister appears with the Ukrainian ambassador to Portugal, Inna Ohnivets, in a photograph, it can be read that “Portugal’s support for the Ukrainian resistance against Russian aggression” is reaffirmed.

Last Wednesday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, João Gomes Cravinho, had said, upon arrival at a NATO meeting in Brussels, which Portugal had already sent between 60 and 70 tons of war material to Ukraine and would send more “in a near future”.

Economy

Inflation hits highest level in March since June 1994

The year-on-year change in the consumer price index (CPI) was 5.3% in March.

“The year-on-year change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was 5.3% in March 2022, a rate higher by 1.1 percentage points (pp) than that observed in the previous month”, as it is the “highest value since June 1994”, released the INE, thus confirming the values ​​predicted in the quick estimates released at the end of March.

The underlying inflation indicator (total index excluding unprocessed food and energy products) also accelerated, registering a change of 3.8% (3.2% in February).

The variation of the index for energy products increased to 19.8%, compared to 15% in the previous month, which corresponds to the highest value since February 1991.

In turn, the index referring to unprocessed food products changed by 5.8%, compared to 3.7% in February.

The monthly change in the CPI was 2.5% (0.4% in the previous month and 1.4% in March 2021), while the average change in the last twelve months was 2.2% (1.8% in February).

Regarding the harmonized index of consumer prices (HICP), there was a year-on-year change of 5.5%, representing the highest value since the beginning of the HICP, in 1996.

This rate is 1.1 percentage points higher than in the previous month and 2.0 percentage points lower than the value estimated by Eurostat for the Euro area, “mainly reflecting considerable differences in the behaviour of energy goods prices, in particular electricity “, pointed out the INE.

Portugal Situation Report Wednesday 6^th April 2022

Introduction

Good morning – With the withdrawal of Russian forces from the outskirts of Kyiv, the true horror of the war is beginning to emerge. Mass graves have been found and there’s evidence of civilians having been shot dead after their feet and hands were bound. Images of the bodies of civilians in the streets of Bucha have led to international condemnation of Russia and further accusations that its forces are committing war crimes. The International Criminal Court has already begun investigating whether war crimes are taking place and Ukraine has also set up a team to gather evidence. Ukrainian prosecutors say they are investigating 4,684 alleged Russian war crimes, but the number is growing by the day.

But what is a war crime? It may not seem like it, but “even war has rules”, as the International Committee of the Red Cross puts it.  These are contained in treaties called the Geneva Conventions and a string of other international laws and agreements. Civilians cannot be deliberately attacked – nor can the infrastructure that is vital to their survival.  Some weapons are banned because of the indiscriminate or appalling suffering they cause – such as anti-personnel landmines and chemical or biological weapons. The sick and wounded must be cared for – including injured soldiers, who have rights as prisoners of war. Serious offences such as murder, rape or mass persecution of a group are known as “crimes against humanity”.

Genocide is defined in international law as the deliberate killing of people from a particular national, ethnic, racial or religious group, with the intention of destroying the group – whether entirely or in part. As such, genocide is a specific war crime that is bigger than the illegal killing of civilians. The law requires proof of the intent to destroy the group.

Whereas many world leaders have labelled the atrocities as “war crimes,” on Monday Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Russia should be investigated for “war crimes AND genocide.”  He added “We will do everything possible to ensure that those who committed these crimes do not go unpunished and can appear before the International Criminal Court to respond to these alleged crimes against humanity, war crimes, and why not say it — genocide,” Sanchez continued.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) investigates and prosecutes individual war criminals who are not before the courts of individual states. Establishing the “chain of command” is very important for any future trials – including either where a leader has authorised an atrocity – or turned a blind eye to it. It is vitally important therefore that all evidence, including forensic evidence is gathered as quickly as possible to avoid it being destroyed or contaminated, plus the testimony of eye witness accounts.

Meanwhile the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres has called for an independent investigation into “the images of civilians killed in Bucha, Ukraine”. This came after Russian troops withdrew from the town on the outskirts of Kyiv, images of bodies lying in the streets subsequently emerged and members of media organisations also saw corpses. A gruesome video of the atrocities was shown by President Zelensky at the UN Security Council yesterday in the presence of Russian UN Security Council representative Vasily Nebenzya, the latter describing it as “a staged provocation by the Kiev regime” and of “fake dead bodies”. Moscow denies the charge and has called the allegations a “monstrous forgery”, as reported in the Russian state-owned RIA news agency. The President of the Security Council described the images shown as “harrowing”.

Reaction to the atrocities has been swift from the international community. EU President yesterday afternoon proposed wides ranging and more severe sanctions against Russia. Italy, Denmark, Spain and Sweden expelled a total of 73 Russian diplomats in a new wave of anti-Moscow moves. This was followed by the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MNE) declaring ten Russian officials as persona non grata and informed the Russian ambassador to Portugal that these officials have two weeks to leave the national territory. According to a count made this afternoon by the French news agency AFP, the number of Russian diplomats expelled from several European Union countries since the invasion of Ukraine amounts to at least 260.

The vital work of journalists covering the Ukraine war cannot be overstated. It is mainly through their work that the outside world becomes aware of the events and atrocities that are taking place. This is obviously at great risk to themselves with some 18 journalists killed so far covering the war. The Ukrainian Ministry of Culture and Information also added that another 13 journalists had been injured, eight abducted or detained and three others were still reported missing.

Turning to the Azores – The president of the Civil Protection of the Azores warned on Monday that the seismovolcanic crisis on the island of São Jorge “is not over” and could take days or months, during which the population should maintain “vigilance and stay calm”. Having been monitoring this daily, we can see that although the number of earthquakes felt by the population has slowed down considerably the risk remains.

A team of scientists from the Instituto Volcanológico das Canárias (INVOLCAN), Spain, travelled today to the island of São Jorge, in the Azores, to support Portuguese researchers and intensify the work of Volcanic Surveillance. This shows good international collaboration utilising best practices and experience.

The civil protection authorities continue to monitor closely and evacuation plans and other measures are in place, or being put in place should an evacuation become necessary. An update record of events and latest news can be found on our website, which is updated daily.

With that have a Safe Day

Health

State reduced by 10% private use to reduce waiting lists

Private hospitals registered a 25% growth in the total number of surgeries in 2021, but had a 10% reduction in the number of surgeries contracted by the SNS compared to 2020, within the scope of the Integrated System for the Management of Registrations for Surgery (SIGIC) said Óscar Gaspar at a press conference, where he took stock of the activity of private hospitals last year.

The question that arises has nothing to do with our availability, which not only remained but was superior, but on the part of the SNS it was understood that, on the one hand, there were surgeries that were internalized and it was not necessary to resort to third parties for them to be made and, on the other hand, some will have been made by other entities”, he underlined.

Taking stock of the activity of private hospitals in 2021, Óscar Gaspar said that 2021 “was still a year very marked by covid-19”, but there was “an intense work” to recover the activity that was not carried out in 2020 as a result of confinement and of the DGS rules.

“But we recovered what had not been done in 2020 and we still added many clinical diagnostic acts in relation to 2021”, said the official based on data provided by hospitals to APHP, which, he said, “gives a reliable portrait” of the activity.

He added that the investment reported in 2021 was more than 150 million euros and was due to the construction of some hospitals and the acquisition of equipment and technology.

According to the National Statistics Institute (INE), there are 129 private hospitals in Portugal, which in 2021 were responsible for 8,286,932 consultations, 995,148 episodes of urgency and 222,000 large and medium surgeries.

“We are talking about quite significant figures”: 22,000 consultations, 2,660 episodes of urgency and 564 surgeries per day, on average” he explained.

Ukraine: Marcelo defends investigation into “intolerable massacre” in Bucha

Lisbon, 04 Apr 2022 (Lusa) The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, stated  that there should be an investigation into what he described as “an intolerable, inhuman, shocking massacre” in Bucha, on the outskirts of Kiev, Ukraine.

“It is an intolerable, inhumane, shocking massacre, a brutal attack on human rights and international humanitarian law and, therefore, it can only provoke the repudiation of the international community, which will naturally want to find out what happened, investigate what happened”, the head of state told journalists at the Centro Cultural de Belém, in Lisbon.

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa added that if the investigation proves facts “in line with what is thought to have happened” in Bucha, this will “lead to initiatives so that those who are competent, such as the International [Criminal] Court, can appreciate”.

According to the President of the Republic, there is no doubt that “what happened is unacceptable”, but “in order to specifically hold responsible who did it, who the people were, under what conditions, how, for that, the matter of fact is fundamental”.

Asked if he agrees that there is enough data to call the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, a war criminal, as did the President of the United States of America, Joe Biden, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa replied that, “for those who believe in the rule of law, have to be the courts to convict”.

“One cannot properly declare a war criminal without a court decision, it can be said that there are behaviors that clearly point to war crimes – and that is what I said, by the way, in the Government’s inaugural speech, when I spoke possibly criminal liability, in addition to an attack on humanitarian law”, he considered.

The head of state said that one should “obviously hold accountable who should be held accountable politically and then legally”.

Two-thirds of Ukrainians who arrived in Portugal are still unable to work

Refugees cannot work without a temporary protection certificate. Delays are being caused, according to the SEF, by the Tax Authority

Of the 27,000 requests registered by the Aliens and Borders Service (SEF) for refugees arriving from Ukraine, only 8,500 certificates of granting of residence permits under the temporary protection regime have yet been issued. Without this certificate, according to the newspaper “Público”, people cannot start working or access support. Of these 27,000 requests, a third are for minors and of the 8,500 already issued, 700 are for children and young people under the age of 18.

According to the SEF, the delay in issuing certificates is caused by the delay by the Tax Authority (AT), since the documents are issued as soon as the Social Security (SS), the National Health Service (SNS) and the AT issue the respective user numbers and tax identification.

The press service of the Ministry of Finance states that the AT “is, as a rule, assigning the NIF within 24 hours after receiving the identification elements of the migrants from the SEF”. However, it states that there are “some occasional situations of need for additional confirmation of the identities of migrants, namely, when the respective data are similar, but not entirely coincident with those of other taxpayers to whom a TIN has been previously assigned.” 

Border training course for GNR military starts Wednesday

Lisbon, Apr 5, 2022 (Lusa) – The GNR will have, as of Wednesday, the first border training course within the scope of the transfer of competences from the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF), the Ministry of Administration announced today Internal (MAI).

“A total of 18 trainers and nine internship supervisors from the SEF will teach the course to 44 GNR soldiers at Escola da Guarda”, in Queluz, followed by an internship at the maritime borders of Lisbon, Funchal and Leixões, says a statement released. by MAI.

Considering the beginning of the training process to be “fundamental” for a “sustained and effective transfer of competences” from the SEF to the other authorities, given the extinction of the institution scheduled for May 12, the MAI also revealed that 44 PSP agents will start the respective training course on 18 April, with a subsequent internship at the air borders of Lisbon, Faro and Funchal.

The announcement of the first border training courses follows the MAI’s assurance that the reform of the SEF will indeed take place.

In a response sent to Lusa after meetings on Monday with the Union of Career Investigation and Inspection of the Foreigners and Borders Service (SCIF/SEF), the Union of Investigation, Inspection and Border Inspectors (SIIFF) and the Union of Employees of the Service and Borders (SINSEF), MAI guaranteed that “the entire restructuring process will be clear and transparent” and in dialogue with the workers’ structures.

Without going forward with dates, the MAI indicated that the minister José Luis Carneiro assured the unions the “maintenance of the remuneration statute” of the employees, that “everything will be done in order to protect the functional status” and “preservation of a dignified career, with prospects for progression”, as well as the “possibility of accessing leadership positions, exercising functions in European and international bodies or immigration liaison officers”.

The extinction of the SEF, decided by the previous Government and approved in November 2021 in the Assembly of the Republic, was postponed from January to May due to the covid-19 pandemic.

The law passed in parliament determines that the current administrative powers of the SEF in relation to foreign citizens will be exercised by a new institution, the Portuguese Agency for Migration and Asylum (APMA), and by the Institute of Registries and Notaries, in addition to transfer police powers to PSP, GNR and the Judiciary Police.