Today in the news: Médis, collective dismissals and emergencies

Insurance company Médis is charging bills without the express authorization of the account holders. Between January and July of this year, 332 mass layoffs were announced, with the vast majority (80%) occurring in the North and Lisbon and Tagus Valley regions. Read the headlines in the national press this Wednesday.

Médis charges accounts without the express authorization of the account holders

Médis is charging accounts without the express authorization of the account holders. The insurer's actions constitute a serious failure to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation, opening the door to fraud.

Read the full story in Diário de Notícias (paid access)

Mass layoffs drag 4,500 workers in seven months

Between January and July of this year, 332 mass layoffs were announced, with the vast majority (80%) occurring in the North and Lisbon and Tagus Valley regions. In total, 4,578 workers have already been laid off across the country by 2025. Technology company Fujitsu was the latest to announce its intention to proceed with such a process, which will affect 54 employees at its Lisbon and Braga centers. The number of mass layoffs announced in the first seven months of this year already exceeds the total for 2022, in which 330 cases were reported, and is not far behind the figures for 2023 (431) and 2024 (497).

Read the full story in Jornal de Notícias (access unavailable)

Regional emergency services expanded nationwide. Displaced doctors will receive a subsidy.

Health Minister Ana Paula Martins is considering expanding the regional obstetrics emergency model to the rest of the country, at different times, starting with the Setúbal peninsula. The legislation the government is preparing will not require doctors to travel between hospitals , as previously suggested, but will provide incentives to "entice" teams to adopt the model. Before seeing the light of day, the decree-law will need to be negotiated with the sector's unions and promulgated by the President of the Republic. The professional associations of doctors and nurses will also be consulted.

Read the full story in Público (access unavailable)

Taxpayers pay for more than half of CP's new trains

In 2021, the then Socialist government of António Costa announced an investment of €819 million in the acquisition of 117 trains for CP, with the bill mostly covered by European funds . However, four years later, the trains were largely paid for by taxpayers. The railcars were supposed to arrive in 2026, but they will only arrive in 2029. Nevertheless, the first check is being paid this year, for €50 million—an amount already transferred by the Environmental Fund to CP—to which another €20 million was added, part of the €50.8 million to be paid by the carrier in 2026. Between 2027 and 2029, the Environmental Fund and European funds will bear the costs, but in 2030, the Environmental Fund will issue the final check, with the State Budget beginning to pay.

Read the full story in Jornal de Negócios (paid access)

Government launches tenders for companies with funds not used by the PRR

Next week, the government will launch the first three competitions under the financial instrument for innovation and competitiveness, created in June with unspent funds from the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP). Initially, the government will allocate €300 million, distributed among reindustrialization (€150 million), artificial intelligence for SMEs (€100 million), and the defense and security economy (€50 million). According to the Minister of Economy and Territorial Cohesion, Manuel Castro Almeida, only innovative projects that fall within three of the four lines of the new financial instrument will be eligible for these RRP funds.

Read the full story in Jornal Económico (paid access)