Thinking of starting your own business in Portugal? Posted by Gabriel on 10:55 pm

 You might want to think again, or at least plan very well.

I was reading a thread on partner responsibility on www.expatforum.com the other day, and it occurred to me that ex-pats living in Portugal might have plans to start their own business here, or to move here from abroad for that effect. I know that many already have.

According to recent statistics, in Portugal, 16,258 companies were created in the first six months of 2010. However, 5,200 companies were dissolved during that same time period.

And the number of insolvencies in the first six months of 2010 reached 1,840, an increase of 2.5% compared to the same time last year. I'm sure you've seen the tell-tale signs, abandoned shop windows with declarations of insolvency taped to them, or decisions by the board of directors stating that they are planning to request insolvency, as below.

 

Insolvencies are, to say the least, a hassle. They invariably involve the Portuguese Revenue, Social Security, and all other creditors; banks and other financial institutions, former employees, suppliers, etc. And, of course, lawyers. They are a very timely process (though efforts are under way to speed up the process), and would really put a damper having moved to Portugal, what with consuming all of your investments.

I don't mean to be a nay-sayer, nor dissuade anyone from coming to Portugal to start up a business. I myself know of several ex-pats that managed to find success here. But like any big decision in life, remember to plan well, and inform yourself very well before stepping into the financial landmine that is the life of a start-up business owner in Portugal.

For more on the insolvency process in Portugal, I recommend visiting the "European Judicial Network in civil and commercial matters" website at http://ec.europa.eu/civiljustice/bankruptcy/bankruptcy_por_en.htm

I hope that this is the first and last time you see anything this in-depth on insolvency in Portugal...

So this is Christmas... Posted by Gabriel on 10:15 pm

Oops, meant to write "Canada Day".

Well, tomorrow is Canada Day. This got me thinking of what I miss from Canada, and something that I miss is the lack of consideration given to pets here in Portugal. At least the impression that I get is that pets here are rarely considered part of the family. You see examples of this every year, families abandoning pets during the summer in order to go on vacation without any worries, hunters abandoning packs of dogs after the hunting season, etc.*

Since I’m still traveling a lot between Coimbra and Lisbon, I’ve been unable to adopt a pet. So in order to do my part I recently joined BIANCA, which is an association that helps abandoned animals. You can visit the site here (or the English version). A word of warning though, you’ll most likely cry after seeing the pictures (especially the “In memory of…” part).

The legal situation of pets in Portugal is actually quite interesting, in a sad sort of way. As you may or may not know, according to Portuguese law, pets are considered “res” - things, property, mere objects.

This leads to a very unfortunate lack of legal consequences for abuse and abandonment.
For example, if someone abandons his or her pet, there is no legal consequence. The property is theirs, they may do with it as they wish. It may constitute a violation of a municipal statute though, since it may be considered littering.

Killing or abusing your own pet also has no practical consequence, for the same reason. The same applies with killing or abusing abandoned animals. While they did have owners at one point, the act of abandonment constitutes the owners renunciation of the property right over the “res”, making it “res nullius”. Nobody’s property.

Killing another person’s pet is another matter, and is punishable both criminally and civilly. Criminally, the offender can be charged with “damages to a third party’s property”, which is punished by a fine or up to 3 years in jail.

Of course, the owner can sue for damages in civil court. With a lot of luck the indemnity awarded by the court just might cover legal costs. I haven’t had much luck finding case law on these situations, which isn’t very surprising considering they never go to appeals court. To be honest, I doubt they go to court at all.

Whoa.. quite the rant. Sorry.

Long story short, I suggest that you help out these associations, even if it’s just by offering a bag of dog food during their charity drives, usually held at the big shopping malls.

*Of course some Portuguese wise-guy will say “at least we don’t club baby seals to death!” 
To him I say, “touché”.

Encontro/Gathering Canadians, Luso-Canadians, former residents of Canada, etc Posted by Gabriel on 11:16 pm

Hello all, the following is from our beloved João Sardinha, he's currently in the process of contacting as many canucks as possible in order for us to organize some kind of shindig.

Dear Canadian and Luso-Canadian friends,

I'm João Sardinha and along with Gabriel Sampaio, we are trying to contact as many Canadians and Luso-Canadian people living in Portugal as we can. The reason for this is because we are interested in finding out to which extent people might be interested in doing a Canadian or Luso-Canadian get-together somewhere in this country.

We are also putting together a mailing list of as many Canadians,Luso-Canadians, former residents of Canada, etc., as we possibly can  so if you know others who fit the description, please pass this message on to them or send us their e-mail and we’ll do it for you.

So what we ask is would you be interested in joining us in a future get-together? If so, please let us know of your interest and we’ll keep you updated. Any recommendations, etc. are also welcome.

Lastly, Gabriel has set up a website "for Canucks in Tugaville" (his words) which you can find at http://www.canadiansinportugal.com/ It’s a great platform for all who may be interested in all things Canadian.

So with that, we thank you for your interest, remember to let other Canadians, Luso-Canadians, etc. know of this initiative, and hope to hear from you sometime soon.

Drop us an e-mail: João - jmssardinha@gmail.com / Gabriel - gbsampaio@gmail.com

Now in portuguese:

Caros amigos canadianos e luso-canadianos,

O meu nome é João Sardinha e junto com o Gabriel Sampaio estamos a tentar contactar o maior número de canadianos e luso-canadianos a viver em Portugal. A razão desta iniciativa deve-se ao nosso interesse em tentar discobrir quem teria interesse em realizar um encontro informal entre canadianos, luso-canadianos, simpatizantes do Canadá, etc. algures neste país.

Também estamos a tentar criar um lista de contactos de canadianos, luso-canadianos, antigos residentes no Canadá, etc. Por isso, se conhecerem outras pessoas que possam estar interessadas, pedimos o favor de lhes enviar este e-mail ou então envie-nos os e-mails deles e faremos nós o contacto.

Se tem interesse em juntar-se a nós para um encontro, de-nos a saber do seu interesse e no futuro teremos todo o gosto em mante-lo a par de futuras iniciativas. Quaisquer recomendações, sugestões, informações são também bem-vindas.

Por último, o Gabriel fundou um site 'para Canadianos em Tugaville'(palavras dele) que pode encontrar aqui: http://www.canadiansinportugal.com/ É uma exelente plataforma para todos interessados em tudo o que é canadiano.

Agradecemos o interesse. Não se esquçam de dar a conhecer esta iniciativa a outros canadianos, luso-canadianos, etc. Esperamos notícias vossas em breve.

Contacte-nos: João - jmssardinha@gmail.com / Gabriel - gbsampaio@gmail.com

Thanks a bunch João!

Food and disappointment Posted by Gabriel on 9:25 pm

Well, a few months after moving to the capital I have finally started to get things organized.

One important question that has been bothering me lately is where would a Canadian get-together be held? Any Canadian restaurants in Portugal? Some-place where we could drink Blue and eat wings? Or poutine? Of course, it does not have to be “traditional” Canadian cuisine.

I am open to suggestions.

On another note, I am a bit disappointed with the Canadian Embassy here in Portugal.

Two months ago, after being encouraged by João Sardinha, I sent them various emails asking to keep me informed on cultural events promoted by the Embassy so that I could promote them to the Canadian population in Portugal.

Months past and no one replied. Not even a "get lost".

I’ve sent a few more, hopefully they’ll end up saying something.

Canuck care packages… Posted by Gabriel on 11:00 pm

 

Merriam-Webster defines a “care-package” as a package of useful or pleasurable items that is sent or given as a gift to another.

Ever since moving to Portugal I have yet to receive a care package, with goodies to satisfy my hankering for Canuck stuff.

However, if I could get a care package (or ask friends/family to bring me something if/when them visit me), I would ask for the following (in no particular order):
- Tim Horton's coffee (though it’s never the same brewed at home)
- good old donuts from Country Style or Tim Horton’s (Boston cream and apple & spice being my favourites)
- Dr. Pepper and root beer
- Nibs (and Super Nibs)
- Twizzlers

 

While I have been able to find some of these on Amazon.com , shipping is always a pretty big obstacle, and ends up surpassing the cost of the good.

So what would you have sent from Canada, if you could pick?

I'd kill for a double double and a boston cream right now...

CBC Radio: The only decent radio station in Portugal? Posted by Gabriel on 10:45 pm

Whenever I feel that I am beginning to forget what a Canadian accent sounds like, or whenever I want to listen to an impartial, complete news report, I point my browser to the CBC Radio site and listen online.

The site is, of course http://www.cbc.ca/radio/

As expected, the site is very well organized. You can listen to the local radio station that you used to listen to in Canada (London, in my case), and you can even listen to past episodes of the different programs.

I was, and still am, a bit of a nerd. As a result, when I was younger and whenever I was home, I would have the radio tuned to CBC Radio Windsor or London frequency. Most Sunday nights I would fall asleep listening to the stories on "Between the Covers"(which unfortunately is now only available as a podcast), or would listen to "As it Happens" and "Quirks and Quarks" during the week.

The voices really stuck with me, mainly because they are full of personality. Listening to them actually provokes a twang of melancholy, since they remind me of simpler times…

It is a shame that radio is such an underrated medium. There is nothing better than being all cuddled up in bed on a cold winter's night eyes and listening to a familiar voice and an interesting story.

So, what is your favourite CBC Radio program?

Digital TV set to start in Jan 2010 Posted by Gabriel on 9:02 pm

In accordance with European regulations, the Portuguese National Communications Authority (ANACOM) has announced that it will start the process of changing from analogue TV to digital in January of this year. The deadline established by the European Commission is 2012. However, according to the officil Portuguese Digital TV site, over 80% of the Portuguese population is already covered by digital TV.

Just a word of warning though, if you are planning to purchase a new TV, make sure that you verify that it is TDT compatible (usually says MP4, TDT, or Full HD on the box). Check the specifications, it should have an integrated "DVB-T" de-codifier that complies with the "MPEG-4/H.264" standard. While all new televisions should already come prepared for the new digital signal, better safe than sorry.

You can consult the full "switch-off plan" here (in Portuguese). And a good blog on the subject here (in Portuguese though).

All hail the Pope! Posted by Gabriel on 10:59 pm

Forgot to mention that the Pope (yeah, that evil looking fellow) will be visiting Portugal on the 11, 12, 13 and 14 of May, 2010. 

So if you are "Christian" and want to see the Pope (75% of Canadians are Christian, check out the 2001 Canadian Census results for yourself if you don't believe me), or even if you aren't Christian but still want a glimpse of the Popemobile, you can consult the Papal program here http://www.bentoxviportugal.pt/programa.asp

Yeah I know, the site is a bit frightening.

Interestingly enough, at a time in which Portuguese productivity is at an all time low, austerity measures are being put in place, and a global economic crisis looms ahead, the Portuguese government decided to allow public servants to take a day and a half off to see the Pope. Or go to the beach. 

This decision was criticized not only by employers, but also by union representatives

They insist that Portuguese holidays and government conceded leaves cost Portugal around 0,5 to 1% of its GDP per year.

The Portuguese leftist party, the "Left Block" (literal translation of Bloco de Esquerda, give me a little slack) said that this measure violates the Portuguese Constitution (the English version is available here if you're curious), mainly the principle of equality, the separation church and state, and freedom of religion and worship, as expressly stated in articles 13 and 41 of the Portuguese Constitution. 

Surprisingly enough, the Christian Association of Managers and Entrepreneurs (the ACEGE) supports the government's decision. Go figure.

Calling all Portuguese-Canadians! (part deux) Posted by Gabriel on 7:25 pm

Are you Portuguese-Canadian? Do you like soccer/football (and ice hockey)? If so here’s another chance for you to help out an academic research project!

As you have probably seen below, João Sardinha is a very busy guy. Not only is he a Senior Researcher at the Centro de Estudos das Migrações e das Relações Interculturais – CEMRI, he is also the “Canadian Country Specialist” of the DIASBOLA project. The principle focus of this project is “reporting on football and migration in a Portuguese context.” You can check out the site for yourself at http://www.diasbola.com/

You are probably asking yourself, “That's all well and good, but what can I do to help?” Well, João has created a questionnaire for the project that aims to compare Portuguese soccer (football) and ice hockey and the impact of the two sports on Portuguese and Portuguese-Canadians in Canada.

The questionnaire only takes 10 to 20 minutes to fill out, and you actually end up learning a bit about yourself in the process. You can also get your family members to fill out the questionnaire, if it is applicable to them.

So if you do want to help and are willing to spare a few minutes of your time for an academic cause, send João an email at jmssardinha@gmail.com indicating which language you’d prefer for the questionnaire, and he’ll get in touch with you.

Thanks again!

Last day to hand in your tax statements! Posted by Gabriel on 1:15 pm

If you are living and working in Portugal, today (18/04/2010) is the last day to declare income tax on earnings from pensions or wages from dependant labour. You can do so online at http://www.portaldasfinancas.gov.pt/ You do need the password sent by Portuguese Revenue in order to log in.

Conversely, if your earnings come from other sources (for example, you are classified as an independent worker, meaning you receive your earnings by way of the infamous “recibos verdes”, or are declaring capital gains, property earnings, etc.), you have until the 28th of May to declare your income tax via the internet.

One word of warning though, if you do not hand in your tax files on time, you may be obliged to pay a fine that can go from €100.00 to €2,500.00. And that’s not all, be extra careful while filling out the forms, because mistakes or omissions can also cost you fines from €25.00 to €15,000.00. Ouch.

Playoff fever is in the air… Posted by Gabriel on 12:37 am

I am sure you all know that the Stanley Cup playoffs are now underway, with three Canadian teams in the running! (and not the most important one.. poor Leafs… *sniff*)

If you are planning to watch the games in Portugal, your choices are quite limited. Unfortunately, I personally do not know of any Canadian sports bars in Portugal, or any bar that shows hockey and has buffalo wings for that matter.

Only a mirage in Portugal

Therefore, you have to rely on cable TV, ESPN América in particular (a few games are shown on Sporttv3).

Regrettably, due to the difference in time zones, if you want to watch the games you are going to have to face the fact that you are going to be very sleepy at work. The earliest game starts at 11:00PM, and the latest starts at 3:00AM. Ouch.

You can check out the latest news at the following sites:

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/

http://www.nhl.com/

And don’t forget to check out Coach’s Corner!

Força Canucks/Habs/Sens*!
*and Leafs..well, for next year, which incidentally is going to be our year.

Calling all Portuguese-Canadians! (in Portugal) Posted by Gabriel on 10:44 pm

Second-generation Portuguese-Canadian Return Project

Last week I received an email from João Sardinha, Senior Researcher in the “Centro de Estudos das Migrações e das Relações Interculturais – CEMRI”, of the Universidade Aberta here in Lisbon, stating he wished to interview me, concerning having returned to my ancestral home land (Portugal) from Canada, for his study project.

We scheduled an interview for today, which we finished about two hours ago. I tried to answer all his questions to the best of my ability, and afterwards we talked about our experiences here in Portugal.

However, João is still looking for more individuals for his study. 

So if you are:

1. Portuguese-Canadian
2. currently living in Portugal
3. willing to share your return to Portugal story, as well as sharing some opinions about your life here and your life back in Canada
4. willing to help in the advancement of human kind
5. and more importantly, willing to help a fellow Portuguese-Canadian

Then send João an email at jmssardinha@gmail.com to arrange an interview. He will send you a question guide in advance, so you can prepare for the interview (don’t worry though; the interview is very stress-free and informal).

Aside from being a Senior Researcher in the CEMRI, João is also Portuguese-Canadian (from Prince George, BC) and a really nice guy to boot, so don’t hesitate to contact him, for the good of science!

A different kind of migration studies.