Portugal standing by Ukraine

Peaceful Portugal remains a firm ally of Ukraine, which is now under increasing bombardments, with fears of eventual defeat by Russia

Russia’s advances have intensified so much recently that there are worsening worries in the Western world about Ukraine’s prospects for survival as a sovereign nation.

President Vladimir Putin has been visiting his “friend” Chairman Xi Jinping in China while Russia’s latest electronic warfare techniques have been weakening Ukraine’s air defences provided by the United States and NATO.

Portugal has long been an adherent member of both the European Union and NATO. There has always been a basic agreement on foreign policy between the two main political parties, the centre-right Democratic Alliance and the centre-left Socialist Party, both of which have been running the country alternatively since soon after the Carnation Revolution in 1975.

The foreign policy consensus is as strong as ever, grounded on its European integration alongside its trans-Atlantic solidarity. “Portugal’s European integration is the cornerstone of democratic consolidation, and democracy is the source of legitimacy for Portugal’s accession to the EU,” said Nuno Severiano  Texeira , director of the Portuguese Institute of Foreign Relations, and former defence minister between 2005 and 2009. Only the Communists with little says  in the Portuguese Assembly regard what is going on in Ukraine as merely a “civil war.”

Domestic issues prevail, and so Portugal has only been able to help Ukraine’s war effort financially in a modest way. In terms of military assistance, Portugal has only allocated €70 million. However, Portuga’s military assistance has been noticeable in NATO front-line countries, particularly Romania and the Baltic states

While located on the far west of continental Europe, Portugal is well aware of concerns that should Russia take over Ukraine its aggression may move westward. This could be encouraged should the United States downgrade its economic and military assistance to Ukraine, or no longer be relied upon to support NATO. These are strong  possibilities if Donald Trump is returned to the White House in November’s presidential election

That aside, Daniel Marcos, professor at the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences at the new university in Lisbon, is  quoted by Joao Ruela Ribeiro in the “Eastern Europe bi-monthly magazine as saying: “Since the beginning of the Russian aggression , Portugal, following the tradition of transatlantic and European solidarity, has been on Ukraine’s side. First of all by condemning the external aggression which threatened Ukraine’s sovereignty , and secondly by giving its allies who border Russia  assurances that Portugal will be as assertive as possible regarding the security of NATO and EU territory.”

The Eastern European, which is widely read in central as well as eastern EU countries, recognises Portugal’s respect for Ukraine’s war efforts.  It notes that Ukraine is a matter of concern within Portuguese society in general, not only among politicians, but even more so than some other EU countries.

Last July, the president of Ukraine and the prime minister of Portugal, adopted a joint declaration reiterating their “unequivocal condemnation of Russia’s war “

Info from UK Embassy in Lisbon

 

The UK Department of Health and Social Care is strongly advising UK nationals in Portugal who hold an S1 and receive UK health care cover, to confirm their contact details with the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA). This will ensure that DHSC can provide all S1 holders with important information regarding their coverage and entitlements. The S1 is the form issued by the UK to state pensioners and other groups such as posted workers, when they need to register for healthcare in Portugal.

 

The request comes as DHSC will be undertaking a programme later this year to check whether there have been changes to the personal circumstances of S1 holders. This will ensure that people who are entitled to healthcare and UK benefits continue to receive them but also that DHSC does not keep paying for cover that is no longer necessary, such as when an S1 holder moves back to the UK. On average, this costs the UK taxpayer approximately £5,300 a year. A UK-insured state pensioner living in Portugal will therefore need to ensure they inform the NHSBSA if their circumstances have changed. 

A spokesperson for the Department stated:

 

“S1 holders need to contact the NHS Business Services Authority to confirm their contact details are up-to-date to ensure they don’t face any issues with their health cover and entitlements should we need to contact them.”

 

The message is directed at all S1 holders, who are mainly state pensioners living in Portugal but also include other groups such as posted workers, who register the S1 form with the Portuguese authorities, once they qualify and are resident in the country.

 

All S1 holders should contact NHSBSA and confirm their contact details on s1applications@nhsbsa.nhs.uk. Alternatively they can be contacted by post at Overseas Healthcare Services, NHSBSA, Bridge House, 152 Pilgrim Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 6SN, UK. Remember to include your full name and date of birth in any correspondence.

 

FATIMA – the fully story

 

Pilgrims from around the world are currently visiting the Sanctuary of Fatima in Portugal for the 106^th anniversary of the first of six reported sightings of apparitions of the Virgin Mary.

You can obtain a completely unbiased account of the complex story of Fatima here: https://www.amazon.com/F%C3%A1tima-Phenomenon-Divine-Grace-Delusion-ebook/dp/B007XC7Q32

A RECORD HOT SUMMER LIKELY

Portugal is bracing itself for possibly the hottest summer ever, while globally, last month was the hottest April on record.  

According to Copernicus, the European Union’s climate monitoring service, April marked the continuation of an unprecedented 11-month streak of record-breaking conditions. Despite what the scientists say, some people argue that extreme weather conditions existed long before humans inhabited the Earth, so they feel there is no need to worry. Many older people tend to ignore the importance of reaching a “net zero” emission balance, and the deadline year of 2030 never mind 2050. They leave this concern to the young who will still be around.

Whether the planet was extremely hot or cold many thousands of years ago is irrelevant to the current concerns about environmental destruction caused by man-made greenhouse gas emissions threatening Portugal and elsewhere this summer

The notion that countries must just socially and economically adapt to extreme climate change is ridiculous. Brazil is one of the countries most affected recently, with major floods engulfing entire cities.

Portugal is as well prepared as possible for more wildfires, droughts and floods, as well as rising sea levels.

Portugal  has achieved a 60% renewable share in electricity generation. It aims to achieve an 80% share within the next two years. This is achievable because Portugal has abandoned the use of coal and is relying increasingly on hydro, wind and solar sources. 

Overall, Portugal has strong policies and targets in place. Although it is doing comparatively well in Europe, critics point out a number of extra measures the government could be taking. Experts want to see more support for low-income households, a faster phase-out of fossil fuel subsidies and improvements in the transport sector.

The major greenhouse gas emitting countries are still not doing nearly enough to address extreme climate challenges; The United States is focused on its November presidential election and providing support for the war in the Middle East. Russia is concentrating on its war in Ukraine. India has become a hub for ‘laundering’ Russian oil.and selling it to the West, thus helping overcome US and European sanctions against Russia. China is steeped in its own conflicts, and its desire to be the number one country in the world. 

All of the superpowers are failing to solve the existential global warming crisis they have largely created.

 

LAND GRABBING IN THE ALGARVE

 

Orla Dargan

An Irish woman is still traumatised and living in hiding because of aggressive intrusions and violent threats, arising from a land dispute – and is just one example of what is being described as criminal land grabbing activities.   

Orla Dargan,65, is daughter of a CEO/chairman of the international Aer Lingus airline, and chairman of CRH plc, the largest global manufacturer and distributor of construction materials. After retiring as a city investment banker in London, Ms Dargan bought a home in the Algarve in 2016 for €180,000, and planned a rebuilding programme costing €600,000. However, her happy life in the small, tranquil town of Santa Barbara de Nexe in the central Algarve was to turn into a nightmare.

On returning from a visit to Ireland in 2021, Ms Dargan found her boundary fence had been broken. Diggers had ploughed in, and waste water had been poured onto her property. A land dispute eventually went to a Faro court where a judge ruled that Ms Dargan rightfully owned her property and there should be no illegal incursions. Ms Dargan  continued to do her best to cope with the aggressive side of the dispute, but ended up fleeing and moving from place to place in Portugal and Spain, hiding in fear of her life.

“Everyone, including my lawyer, still tells me I am at risk, but the authorities in Portugal, including the police, have not been doing anything about it.” As a possible solution to protect her property, she has now invited a number of British army veterans to live there.

Ms Dargan’s is not alone in suffering this sort of intimidation in the Algarve, according to a specialist land investigator, David Mapley, he describes land grabbing, as “an economic war being conducted due to the relative impoverishment of the Portuguese versus the "wealthy" foreigners arriving and driving up local property prices.”

Mr Mapley, who mostly deals with property crimes, says that “too often unsuspecting foreigners are rendered offside in a catastrophic way, spending years, money and stress in order to restore a property status quo.”

This is hardly the happy retirement most people dream of, he says, adding: “The glacial judicial system, indifference of the police, and ineptitude and corruptibility of lawyers, all well recognised by Portuguese, result in a one-sided battle for ‘AlGrab’, where miscreants can pretty much get away with what they want.

“As a result, misrepresentation, fraud, land boundary disputes, land and home theft, or neighbourly intimidation are commonplace.”

FATIMA ANNIVERSAY, MAY 13

paperback

May 13 marks another anniversary of the first of six reported apparitions of the Blessed Mary near the village of Fatima in central Portugal in 2017.

If you would like to read a fully researched and  unbiased account of one of the most extraordinary chapters in Portugal’s history, get a copy of The Fatima Phenomenon  -Devine Grace, Delusion or Pious Fraud?

It is available here:

https://www.amazon.com/F%C3%A1tima-Phenomenon-Divine-Grace-Delusion-ebook/dp/B007XC7Q32

eBook

WARS BLOCKING CLIMATE ACTION

 

Portugal has been at the forefront of action against climate change, but the  subject of global warming is being overshadowed by fears of worsening wars. 

This week, the prime ministers of Poland and the United Kingdom announced plans to prepare for a war across Europe, unprecedented since World War ll. They were referring to the possible spread westward across the continent of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 

In a two-hour speech in Paris on Thursday, French President Macron warned hat Europe may “die” unless the union’s 27 member states become much more ambitious. They must turn Europe into a superpower, not dependent on the United States, if it is to survive and thrive. in this fast-changing world.

President Biden signed into law a $95 billion package of United States war aid to help Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and other global hotspots.

Major economic challenges are troubling nations worldwide due to geopolitical tensions, inflation, health crises, food insecurity, and a worsening outlook for developing countries. Portugal is one of the poorest countries in Europe, but in recent years it has managed to focus on expanding renewables and energy efficiency while cutting reliance on imported fossil fuels. This has balanced plans for reaching a carbon-neutral (net zero) economy that would support the country’s economic growth and energy security, predicted the International Energy Agency.

Portugal’s energy and climate policies aim to reach carbon neutrality primarily through broad electrification of energy demand and a rapid expansion of renewable electricity generation, along with increased energy efficiency. These measures have been backed by a strong focus on reducing dependency on energy imports and maintaining affordable access to energy.

Last year Portugal doubled its 2030 goals for solar and green hydrogen capacity. It is also helping people to live and travel more sustainably. However, heatwaves and wildfires across southern Europe have made it painfully clear how little time remains to avert climate catastrophes.

European countries are under pressure to reach net zero by striking a balance between emitting greenhouse gases and mitigating against them. Each country has unique resources, so is carving its own route to a greener future.

The new 2024 AD government will no doubt pursue Portugal’s transition goals, but it will not be able to depend on support from the far-right Chega party. Chega and other radical populist groups in Europe have different agendas on coping with climate change, just as they do on which side to support in the war in Ukraine, plus the possibility of Russia pushing westward.

Also alarmingly contentious, the far-right Reform party in the UK, for example, insists that net zero is the wrong approach because it is damaging livelihoods and the economy. “Net zero means reducing man-made CO2 emissions to stop climate change that has been happening for millions of years before man-made emissions, and it will always change. We are better off accepting warming than pretending we can stop it. Up to ten times more people die of cold than warmth. In Roman Britain some 2,000 years ago, it was two degrees warmer than now. Grapes for wine were grown in Yorkshire, says Reform UK.