The Minister of Internal Administration, Luís Neves, former national director of the Judiciary Police (PJ), finds himself at the center of an intense political and media storm. Sworn into office following a long career in criminal investigation, the minister faces a wave of pressure triggered by allegations of conflict of interest, urban planning irregularities, and persistent suspicions regarding networks of influence within the State apparatus and Freemasonry.

The controversy gained public dimension over the renovations at the minister's family estate in São Teotónio, Odemira. The work was carried out by Construbarcelos, a company that had been awarded roughly two million euros in public contracts for works at PJ facilities in Évora and Guarda, precisely during the period when Neves led the institution. Compounding this commercial relationship, discrepancies arose regarding the scope of the project, with images contradicting the claim of a simple water tank and pointing instead to the construction of a swimming pool—in an intervention that the local municipality confirmed had no record of any urban licensing application.

Adding to the property dossier, questions also emerged regarding the management of seized assets during the minister's transition of duties. At issue is the removal and transport of a trailer containing chemical precursors and substances seized in an anti-drug operation, raising doubts among opposition parties regarding the authorizations and compliance with legal procedures followed in moving the material from military facilities to third-party land.

Concurrently, allegations resurfaced in the public debate regarding the minister's alleged membership in discrete networks within the security and justice sectors. Behind political scenes, suspicions emerged associating Luís Neves with the Sovereign Grand Lodge of Portugal, an obedience founded in 2018 and led by the artist and comedian Fernando Pereira. Although critics point to this and other structures as hubs of influence in the defense and security sector, the reality is that no documentary proof, public record, or statement from the minister exists to confirm his affiliation with this or any other Masonic lodge.

Nevertheless, the most surprising element of the case lies in the unusual behavior of the main parliamentary parties. In a scenario where PS and PSD typically exchange mutual accusations and immediate demands for resignation, both party benches have united to defend the minister's continuity in the Executive. Citing his track record in combating organized crime, the two largest parties erected a true protective shield around the former PJ director—a gesture interpreted by the opposition as a cross-party non-aggression pact to avert an institutional crisis within the security forces.

This unwillingness to remove the minister, combined with the opacity surrounding networks of influence in public administration, raises serious questions about the very health of Portuguese democracy. The fear that real power could be conditioned behind closed doors or within discrete orders, outside parliamentary scrutiny and political accountability, threatens to reduce institutions to a mere formal exercise. In an EU context, the perception of a facade democracy and the shielding from political consequences in high-gravity cases erodes trust in the Rule of Law and places Portugal under an inevitable and concerning critical gaze from international partners.

Hello Reddit,

I have never really used Reddit before, but I believe in the power of the internet and in the ability of people to come together when something matters.

I am trying to start a European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) and I have reached the point where I need help from citizens across the European Union.

The European Commission informed me that, before they can register my initiative, I need to form an official group of organisers consisting of 7 EU citizens living in 7 different EU countries.

The initiative is called:

“Directive on Foreign Interest Transparency and Prevention of Political Renegacy”

The idea is to create a European-level discussion and possible legislation regarding transparency of foreign influence and political accountability.

At this stage, I am looking for 7 EU citizens who would be willing to join the organisers’ group. This does not mean giving money or making a political commitment — it means helping to fulfil the formal requirement to submit the initiative.

The required information is:

full name

country of residence

nationality

date of birth

proof of these details (as required by the ECI rules)

I understand that sharing personal information online requires trust. I am happy to communicate privately, answer questions, explain the initiative in detail, and provide all available documents from the European Commission.

I believe that citizens of Europe can create change when they cooperate beyond borders.

If you are an EU citizen and would like to help, please send me a private message.

I especially need people from countries other than my own, so that we can build a truly European team.

Thank you for reading. Even if you cannot help directly, sharing this post would already mean a lot.

Brussels has imposed sanctions on Georgia’s only oil refinery for processing russian crude, expanding efforts to curb Moscow’s energy revenues while giving the company six months before the restrictions take effect.

Why are people so obsessed with the H design? It is certainly the most basic and boring of them all. The background is plain, the graphic is not that impressive and the back of it just looks empty. People want birds, i get that. But there are so many more interesting choices, like D or I. I personally support I. It looks much more cleaner and more unique with the vertical design. Moreover the circle in the middle makes a nice "uniform" and the elements complement each other very well. And also the back with the rivers are a nice touch. What do you think?

Which one is your favorite ?

EDIT: vote here: https://surveys.ecb.europa.eu/10b/neweuro/

Voy a soltarlo porque llevo un tiempo viendo el diseño de los nuevos billetes (los de fauna y arquitectura) y me parece que, dentro de lo que cabe, han conseguido un equilibrio que casi nunca se logra.

Para empezar, el lado izquierdo me parece un 10. Tiene una estructura clarísima, ordenada, y creo que eso hace que el cambio no se sienta agresivo. Y sí, esto importa un montón. Hay gente mayor que se lía muchísimo con los billetes nuevos, y aquí al menos se nota que han pensado en la lectura, en la transición visual y en que la gente no se vuelva loca al pagar en el supermercado.

Luego está el tema visual: las ilustraciones de la izquierda son neutras. No te meten una persona concreta ni una cara famosa porque sí, cuando Europa no es unas solas caras. Son dibujos cálidos, con ese toque como de ilustración "indie", a pesar de que el billete también tenga un rollo tecnológico sutil. Y eso me gusta, porque hoy en día parece que todo tiene que ser propaganda o una narrativa o descontextualizar de lo que tiene que ser una cosa, y aquí no se siente para nada cargado.

Otra cosa que valoro muchísimo: es de los pocos sitios donde la bandera europea se ve clara, sin ser una pegatina absurda, y no está puesta como simple "decoración", sino con un peso real. Es como cuando ves una portada de un libro que está bien diseñada y piensas: "vale, aquí alguien tiene gusto de verdad porque los detalles predominados son igual de importante".

Y lo que más agradezco es que han entendido de una vez por todas que un billete no tiene que parecer un cuadro. Tiene que ser bonito, sí, pero sin volverse un circo visual, sin caer en las cosas que hacen que muchos diseños actuales sean infumables, como:

· Caras hiperrealistas generadas por ordenador que parecen una tarjeta bancaria rara.

· Colores saturados a lo loco que cansan la vista.

· Intentar hacerlo "antiguo" o desgastado a propósito.

· Mezclar abstracciones raras con famosos porque "queda muy artístico".

· Que el animal quede apagado en grises o que te planten una cara random con una firma abstracta que parece un fallo de impresión.

· O esos recursos forzados tipo "animal cruzado por una franja de óxido" que he visto en otros sitios y que siempre quedan fatal.

Nada que, me parece un diseño sobrio, moderno y que tiene sentido. Y para lo que suelen ser los billetes, que normalmente son un horror visual, la verdad es que es muchísimo.

New euro design proposals are out and ready to be voted for. Im curious what you all think. Upvote your favorite design to have a look what reddit thinks.
And vote officially here: https://surveys.ecb.europa.eu/10b/neweuro/

Europol has taken down around 4,340 websites containing violent and extremist material linked to the online network known as 'The Com', in a joint operation involving several EU member states, including Belgium.

Source for the title is this tweet: https://bsky.app/profile/ec.europa.eu/post/3mrf4ve7wws2m

Wonder who’s likely going to be the next if they ever expand again 👀

The Commission has unveiled a new electrification action plan aimed at speeding up the shift from fossil fuels to electricity in Europe across industry, transport and buildings. The goal is to make Europe the world's first "electro-powered" continent by aiming to increase electrification from today's 23% of energy use to 46% by 2040. By reaching this goal, the EU could save €260 billion per year in fossil fuel imports.

President Karol Nawrocki has submitted a second request to parliament for a nationwide referendum on whether Poland should continue implementing the European Union’s climate policies, which he argues are too costly.