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Reposted by Aitor Hernández-Morales

POLITICO Europe @politico.eu · 10/02/2026

When current European Council President António Costa became Portugal’s PM in 2015, the country took pride in being the only European nation without a far-right political presence. This weekend’s elections have cemented a very different reality.

politico.eu

Costa’s legacy: The far right in Portugal

The ultranationalist Chega party is thriving by campaigning on issues the president of the European Council failed to address while prime minister.

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Aitor Hernández-Morales @aitorehm.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

Center-left candidate António José Seguro will become Portugal’s next president, defeating far-right leader André Ventura by a comfortable margin in runoff elections held in the midst of ongoing storms and floods on Sunday. www.politico.eu/article/exit...

politico.eu

Exit poll: Center left wins Portuguese presidency

Center-left candidate António José Seguro is projected to defeat far-right leader André Ventura and become the country’s next head of state.

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Aitor Hernández-Morales @aitorehm.bsky.social · 31/12/2025

Because nothing expresses the thrill of love and new beginnings like a slow moving tale of toxic food / relationships.

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Aitor Hernández-Morales @aitorehm.bsky.social · 31/12/2025

Reminder that today’s the day to watch that beloved romantic New Year’s Eve film… ̶A̶n̶ ̶A̶f̶f̶a̶i̶r̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶R̶e̶m̶e̶m̶b̶e̶r̶ ̶W̶h̶e̶n̶ ̶H̶a̶r̶r̶y̶ ̶M̶e̶t̶ ̶S̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ … PHANTOM THREAD

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Aitor Hernández-Morales @aitorehm.bsky.social · 29/12/2025

Denmark's PostNord is set to deliver its final paper letters on Dec. 30, putting an end to a service first offered in 1624. The company has also spent the past few months uninstalling the country's 1,500 red postboxes, the majority of which are being auctioned off. www.politico.eu/article/plea...

politico.eu

Please, Mr. Postman! Denmark bids farewell to letter delivery and mailboxes

In a bid to address its financial woes, the country’s national postal authority will deliver its final letters on Dec. 30, ending a service that stretches back 401 years.

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Aitor Hernández-Morales @aitorehm.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

To sum up: Thank you all for what has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my journalistic career. You can, as always, revisit our coverage through our hub page: www.politico.eu/livingcities/ See you later, city-lovers 🏙️❤️

politico.eu

Global Policy Lab — Living Cities

A collaborative journalism project seeking solutions to challenges modern urban societies face in an age of rapid change. Special reports Newsletter Chapters Taming the Gig Economy The gig economy …

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Aitor Hernández-Morales @aitorehm.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

It's been an honor to interact with you all, receive your thoughts and feedback, and note your enthusiasm over our weekly riddle — which was nearly always solved within minutes of the newsletter's publication, more often than not by an intimidatingly smart fellow known only as John Beaven of Madrid.

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Aitor Hernández-Morales @aitorehm.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

...urbanists, architects, academics, researchers, construction empresarios, civil engineers, students, and a vast array of folks who had nothing to do with city building or management, but simply had a passionate interest in the urban environment that surrounds us.

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Aitor Hernández-Morales @aitorehm.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

But my deepest gratitude is for our readers. Our over 60,000 readers include members of the European Commission, lawmakers in the European Parliament, representatives in the Committee of the Regions, national diplomats, ministers, regional governors, mayors and local officials of all sorts...

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Aitor Hernández-Morales @aitorehm.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

Thanks as well to the fantastic people like 15-minute city ideas man @carlosmorenofr.bsky.social, Brussels Urbanism czar @anspersoons.bsky.social, Harvard academic Eve Blau and mobility expert @davidzipper.bsky.social, who shared fascinating insights on how our cities work and evolve.

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Aitor Hernández-Morales @aitorehm.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

This was a personal passion project that became truly great thanks to the participation of the entire @politico.eu family. I am overwhelmed by their kindness and enthusiasm along the way: if you enjoyed the newsletter, please know it was thanks to their brilliant collaboration.

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Aitor Hernández-Morales @aitorehm.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

...my tireless current editor Leyla Aksu and ever-present producer Giulia Poloni, emeritus editors @jamesranderson.bsky.social, @esthermavis.bsky.social, @kelseylh.bsky.social, and the support of editors-in-chief Jamil Anderlini and the late, great Stephen Brown, a champion of this project.

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Aitor Hernández-Morales @aitorehm.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

It's been a pleasure to helm this deep dive into Europe's cities, this exploration of what works / what doesn't, this multi-year love letter to the urban landscape that surrounds us. This project couldn't have happened without my mentor @stephanfaris.bsky.social, my co-author @gi-coi.bsky.social...

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Aitor Hernández-Morales @aitorehm.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

And our cities are all the more wonderful because they are ultimately the locations where the vast majority of Europeans have the greatest access to the hardfought welfare state's services and the EU-funded public infrastructure that foster thriving communities.

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Aitor Hernández-Morales @aitorehm.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

And after years of stagnation, the past few decades have been especially inspiring, because they've seen a cross-continental urban renaissance led by local administrations making concerted efforts to reclaim and revive public spaces.

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Aitor Hernández-Morales @aitorehm.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

By virtue of this history, many of the places we call home also predate the postwar period’s car-centric urban design, which have made city life increasingly unhealthy and socially isolated in other parts of the world.

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Aitor Hernández-Morales @aitorehm.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

While it's important to remain ambitious, it's also good to periodically take a pause and recognize how incredibly lucky we European city-dwellers are. Our corner of the world has a rich history, enabling us to live among — and often within — spectacularly beautiful buildings.

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Aitor Hernández-Morales @aitorehm.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

As Committee of the Regions President Kata Tüttő said in an interview with us last week, to remain globally relevant, the EU needs to think locally and ensure our cities are economically dynamic, climate resilient, open-minded and accommodating spaces where Europeans can continue to thrive.

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Aitor Hernández-Morales @aitorehm.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

The European Commission’s Cities Agenda recognizes its urban centers — the places three-quarters of the population calls home — as the stage on which the European project will thrive or fail. Our cities are a microcosm of the EU, and a canary in the coalmine when it comes to the challenges we face.

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Aitor Hernández-Morales @aitorehm.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

And our section identified the rising price of housing as a key political issue in Europe — one which the far-right was harnessing to make electoral strides — significantly before it became the headline dominating crisis that led to this week's roll-out of the first-ever EU Affordable Housing Plan.

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Aitor Hernández-Morales @aitorehm.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

We reported on local elections that reflected national tendencies — like our article on how Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's unpopularity was dooming the then-mayor of Seville's reelection odds, or our recent piece on how Mette Frederiksen's Social Democrats were losing Copenhagen.

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Aitor Hernández-Morales @aitorehm.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

...reported on municipal authorities continued failure make urban landscapes accessible for people with disabilities and contrasted the architectural legacy of Lisbon’s long-gone factories with the modern-day Danish boomtowns funded by Ozempic.

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Aitor Hernández-Morales @aitorehm.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

Over the course of the project, we’ve looked at how communities are changing thanks to approaches like the 15-minute city scheme (and the backlash against it), anticipated tragedies like the deadly Valencia floods with our report on urban expansion into Olbia’s floodplains...

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Aitor Hernández-Morales @aitorehm.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

This week we wrapped our nearly four-year run of @politico.eu's Living Cities, our long-running exploration of Europeans' relationship with the cities in which they live. In our final issue, we reflect on the state of Europe’s cities and how they can be even greater. www.politico.eu/newsletter/g...

politico.eu

Living Cities: The city limits

A conversation on what makes a livable city. By AITOR HERNÁNDEZ-MORALES Send tips here | Tweet @aitorehm | View in your browser Happy Thursday, city lovers! This week marks the conclusion of POLITI…

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Aitor Hernández-Morales @aitorehm.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

While much of the plan will consist of recommendations member countries aren’t required to implement, Jørgensen warned against ignoring them. “Take this problem seriously,” he urged leaders, or accept disgruntled voters will “hand over power to the populists.”

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Aitor Hernández-Morales @aitorehm.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

- Tracking of the speculative trends that have led homes to be seen not as vital shelters for Europeans, but commodities with which to get rich. - A new construction strategy to cut red tape and create common standards. - A bid to ensure the rights of Europe’s homeless are respected.

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Aitor Hernández-Morales @aitorehm.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

What to expect: - Revised state-aid rules to funnel public cash into housing projects. - New tools national, regional and local governments can use to target the short-term rentals that are exacerbating the shortage of homes in places like Barcelona, Prague and Copenhagen.

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Aitor Hernández-Morales @aitorehm.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

This week, Brussels lays out its ambition to do something about the bloc-wide housing crisis with the EU's first-ever Affordable Housing Plan. In an exclusive interview with me in @politico.eu, Housing Commissioner Dan Jørgensen previewed the policy package. www.politico.eu/article/brus...

politico.eu

Brussels to free up cash, target tourist flats in EU’s first-ever Affordable Housing Plan

Housing Commissioner Dan Jørgensen warns member countries to take home affordability seriously — or prepare to cede power to far-right populists.

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Aitor Hernández-Morales @aitorehm.bsky.social · 23/10/2025

For decades, the EU’s view on housing has been simple: not our problem. Now all the institutions are determined to take on the housing crisis, but different views on how much Brussels should intervene could lead to clashes between the Commission and EU leaders. Story: www.politico.eu/article/the-...

politico.eu

EU finally takes ownership of housing crisis

The pressure is now on Brussels to adopt real measures — or risk pushing more voters into the arms of the far right.

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Aitor Hernández-Morales @aitorehm.bsky.social · 18/10/2025

Huge turnout on the second day of @stratosferica.bsky.social’s annual Utopian Hours conference in Turin … Come say hi if you’re here!

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Aitor Hernández-Morales @aitorehm.bsky.social · 14/10/2025

La noticia que ‘La Reme’ — la mujer conocida como ‘la mataviejas’ por asesinar a tres ancianas en 2006 — ha sido detenida por matar a otra anciana casi 20 años después, me ha hecho volver a dar con esta crónica magistral: elpais.com/diario/2011/...

elpais.com

Historia de una asesina compulsiva

La cocinera Remedios Sánchez mató a tres ancianas y lo intentó con otras siete en Barcelona a lo largo de 24 días del verano de 2006

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Aitor Hernández-Morales @aitorehm.bsky.social · 12/10/2025

Asked if he'll resign if his center-right party performs poorly tonight, Portuguese PM Luís Montenegro employs the finest Lusitanian phrase: "Tira o cavalinho da chuva." To "get the pony out of the rain" is equivalent to telling folks to not hold their breath waiting for something that won't happen.

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Aitor Hernández-Morales @aitorehm.bsky.social · 10/10/2025

I’m randomly in Oslo on the day the Nobel Peace Prize is to be announced.

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Aitor Hernández-Morales @aitorehm.bsky.social · 06/10/2025

— Saint Schuman, failed to secure chamber's confidence — Henri Queuille, failed to secure chamber's confidence — Pierre Pflimlin, steps down to usher in De Gaulle and the eventual creation of the Fifth Republic

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Aitor Hernández-Morales @aitorehm.bsky.social · 06/10/2025

— Fernand Bouisson, resigned after the chamber refused government full financial powers — León Blum, resigned after the chamber refused government full financial powers — Philippe Pétain, premiership ends when chamber gave him / Vichy Regime full constituent powers — Vincent Auriol, caretaker

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Aitor Hernández-Morales @aitorehm.bsky.social · 06/10/2025

— Frédéric François-Marsal, took the job to send a message to MPs and then immediately resign — Édouard Herriot, fails to secure the backing of the chamber — Camille Chautemps, fails to secure the backing of the chamber — Édouard Daladier, resigns after far-right riots leave 15 dead

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Aitor Hernández-Morales @aitorehm.bsky.social · 06/10/2025

By my quick count, Lecornu's record has only been beat by: — Duke de Mortemart, named premier hours before Charles X abdicated — Duke of Bessano, overthrown for being an idiot — Armand Fallières, resigned after his bill to exile royal pretenders failed — Alexandre Ribot, overthrown by the left

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Aitor Hernández-Morales @aitorehm.bsky.social · 06/10/2025

Poor Michel Barnier, whose record as the Fifth Republic's shortest-serving prime minister has held up for less than a year. All hail Sébastien Lecornu, whose 27-day stint as head of government is now the one to beat.

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Aitor Hernández-Morales @aitorehm.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

Ojo, que parece que los trend-setters absolutos de este tema fueron quienes crearon la cuenta de bloques cebra en Instagram a principios de Julio. Pero OLÉ la prensa nacional, en todo caso.

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Aitor Hernández-Morales @aitorehm.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

Una clara señala del éxito en el mundo del periodismo es que tus compañeros hagan eco — o, en su lugar, copien — algo que has escrito. Según ese criterio, el triunfo de Albert Nogueras Tarrero con este tema, publicado en @eldiario.es hace un mes, es espectacular...

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Aitor Hernández-Morales @aitorehm.bsky.social · 30/09/2025

No joke, this once happened to me: showed up at Reagan to catch a flight leaving from Dulles. I’m still in awe of the cab driver who manoeuvred rush-hour traffic expertly enough to get me to the right airport with just enough time to make it onto the plane right before boarding completed.

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Aitor Hernández-Morales @aitorehm.bsky.social · 29/09/2025

"There is no room in Europe for selfish speculation on a basic need like our homes," Housing Commissioner Dan Jørgensen said Monday, stressing the need to tackle the "financialization" of the EU's housing stock. Story: www.politico.eu/article/eu-h...

politico.eu

EU housing plan to tackle speculation, short-term rentals

Brussels wants more public cash to build homes — and insists they be genuinely affordable.

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Aitor Hernández-Morales @aitorehm.bsky.social · 25/09/2025

I'm glad the stats prove I wasn't just imagining things during the years I spent in Portugal, during which I concluded its drivers were notably reckless, death-wishing lunatics. That said, let's all spare a prayer for anyone who has to drive in Serbia. Source: www.gov.uk/government/s...

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