Portuguese PM backs migration policy amid EU border concerns
Lisbon, Aug 5 (IANS) Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro has defended the country’s approach to migration as a model of regulated reception and integration, contrasting it with what he described as the “lack of regulation of migration flows” seen elsewhere.
According to Lusa News Agency, Montenegro said Portugal was working to ensure that migrants arriving in the country could live with dignity through access to employment, housing, healthcare, education and mobility.
He argued that countries with pull-effect migration policies often attracted migrants without providing sufficient conditions for their reception and integration, Xinhua News Agency reported.
He made the remarks following an emergency video meeting of European Union (EU) interior ministers on the migrant influx into Ceuta, a Spanish enclave in North Africa. EU ministers agreed on Tuesday that border reinforcement and stronger migrant return mechanisms are necessary.
Spain’s interior ministry said about 72,000 people had entered Ceuta irregularly within 24 hours last week, with around 70,000 having since returned to Morocco.
Earlier on July 31, the Portuguese government had said that it was following the migration crisis in Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta “with great concern” and reaffirmed its commitment to rigorous border control as a cornerstone of the Schengen area’s integrity.
In a statement published by Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro’s office, the government expressed condolences for the lives lost in the crisis and said it has been kept informed by the Spanish government since the beginning of the crisis.
“The Portuguese government reaffirms that the integrity of the Schengen system depends on rigorous border controls and a determined fight against all forms of illegal immigration,” the statement read.
The Portuguese authorities said it remained in contact with both the Spanish and Moroccan governments, with Portuguese security forces, including the GNR gendarmerie and the Maritime Police, coordinating with their Spanish counterparts.
It had said Spain had given assurances that, in close coordination with Moroccan authorities, it would reverse the flow of thousands of migrants that has intensified over recent weeks and particularly over the past two days.
–IANS
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