Portugal's PM, Pedro Passos Coelho said on Saturday that he relies on and totally believes the unemployment figures from the National Statistics Institute and that they are of course concerning but heading downwards.

Last Friday the debate in parliament centred on the figures and how they are fiddled, massaged and how tens of thousands are excluded by the figures by cunning governmental schemes and definitions.

A hardline proposal has been signed by the German Finance Minister, Wolfgang Schäuble and the Minister of the Economy, Sigmar Gabriel and has been delivered to the European Commission.

Germany wants to tighten its grip on the reform process in the euro area, arguing that the recommendations of the European Commission are binding and that countries that do not comply within a specified period will be penalised with cuts in funding.

Heathrow Airport says it is having to turn business to its rival airports in France and Germany because it does not have capacity.

Heathrow’s CEO said there is a waiting list of 30 international airlines applying to begin new routes or increase the number of their flights.

Local social democrat politicians Mendes Bota and Elsa Cordeiro have questioned the Government on its intention to close the army barracks in Tavira and demanded that the Algarve has at least some army presence.

The MPs were concerned with a possible lack of any soldiers in the south of the country and questioned the Ministry of Defence on its intention of closing the barracks which would leave the entire south of the country being "devoid of a permanent military force."

Germany’s autobahns are closer to becoming toll roads for anyone driving a foreign passenger car.

Millions of foreign vehicles a year are thought to use the autobahn system.

Toll protest group CUVI, local Left Bloc politicians and a delegation from the Spanish Izquierda Unida movement met in Vila Real de Santo António this weekend to discuss the tolls on the A22 Via do Infante and the fine notices that have been posted to 300,000 Spanish motorists.

Before the next planned get-together there will be a meeting with the Spanish law firm which has the contract to collect these fees and fines from its own nationals.

The EU's attempt to introduce a uniform sales tax form for businesses has come unstuck.

The use of a standardised new report form was intended to help businesses by eliminating the different ways they accounted for VAT/IVA returns and to make taxation easier for companies trading outside their own country.

Portugal Telecom, Jerónimo Martins, Mota-Engil and Millennium BCP were the listed companies that suffered the largest losses on the Lisbon stock exchange during October.

The exchange has witnessed seven months of share price falls for Portugal’s major companies in the longest cycle of losses since the 11 month period ending January 2012.