European pact is “brake on illegal immigration”; incentive for “regular channels” – Portugal Resident
The European Pact on Migrations and Asylum comes into full force on Friday, and Portugal’s government is delighted, saying the ‘harmonisation of entry rules will allow for better management of borders, integration, and the return of irregular migrants, while also promoting the creation of “regular channels” for immigrants’.
The pact “should be the brake on illegal immigration,” but also enable “the building and maintenance of regular, safe, and orderly migration pathways, where people’s rights and their fundamental rights are valued,” said António Leitão Amarao, minister for the presidency, and equivalent of Portugal’s main government spokesperson when it is not the prime minister speaking.
According to the minister, the goal “is not to keep the door completely closed,” but to maintain “channels that operate and flows that move in a legal and regular manner.”
To this end, the pact, which has had a two-year transition period, ending this week, represents a “very significant step being taken to strengthen the control of migration flows, but a control that is effective and respects human rights in its broad sense”.
It also involves “the revision of various regulations and directives across the different instruments and stages of the migration process”, from “the border control system” to screening procedures and rapid responses to asylum requests.
“It is a European response to a development that began back in 2015 and 2016, during the refugee crisis”, with the pressure of the mass entry of foreigners, which Portugal only felt later due to “a decision (by the Socialist government) to throw the doors wide open”. This last barb is one often used by Leitão Amaro – many would say with good reason. Had the AD government not ended the ‘manifestation of interest’ mechanism, Portugal would still today have ‘holidaymakers’ arrive from all quarters of the world, able to extend their stays indefinitely (on the basis that they were seeking work), and then apply for legalisation.
The pact is thus “a European response in which countries agreed to greatly strengthen the rules, control mechanisms, technologies and interoperable databases to enable security checks and the management of migratory flows, with the aim not of closing all doors, but of having greater control,” repeated Leitão Amaro today.
“If there is non-compliance with the rules, there are consequences,” including the acceleration of return procedures.
In Portugal’s case, changes to return rules are still under discussion (in parliament), but some of the pact’s requirements have already been met, such as the reinforcement of detention centres.
“There is no system for controlling migratory flows without the possibility of returns functioning, because if there is no effective return system, a perception is created that illegality is not very different from legality and that there are no significant consequences for being in an irregular situation,” the minister explained.
Of the 105 measures in the national pact implementation plan, 22 have been completed and 72 are underway, he said, highlighting the investment of more than €30 million in a “new entry and exit control system (EES)” which appears finally to be working without long queues of passengers trying to board flights, or enter the country.
The EES system, which includes the collection of biometric data, increased monitoring obligations, and interoperable databases, “has enabled a very significant increase across Europe in the detection, interception, and removal of people in an illegal situation,” stressed Leitão Amaro.
As part of the pact’s implementation, national legislation has been amended, and investments are underway “to expand capacity at the temporary accommodation centre in Porto, with more than 100 places,” which is expected to be completed in August, and a “screening center near Lisbon Airport, with just over one hundred places,” which should be finalised “probably still in July.”
The Migration and Asylum Pact entered into force in 2024, and on Friday the two-year transition period ends – meaning that it must now be fully complied with by the Member States.
The measures focus on external borders, common asylum procedures, burden-sharing among Member States, and international partnerships to combat illegal migration.
Source material: LUSA
