The past few months have witnessed an increasing flow of refugees into #Europe, as a result of the war in #Ukraine, and the fall of #Afghanistan to the #Taliban regime last year. In the past weeks, the hostility of many European towards refugees, particularly Afghans, has been laid bare.
However, #Portugal has emerged as one of the most welcoming countries for #refugees. The #SGI survey of 2020 reported that the Portuguese policies effectively support the integration of refugees and migrants into society, giving the country a score of nine, out of a possible ten points.
As the report indicated, Portugal had taken in the sixth highest number of refugees as part of the #EU resettlement program and has “sought to be a leader at the EU level with regard to refugees and migrants”.
While the attitudes towards refugees hardened during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Portuguese government was one of the few ones to grant temporary citizenship to all migrants and asylum seekers who had residence applications underway.
Facing another influx of refugees due to the war in Ukraine, the State and Presidency Minister of Portugal, Mariana Vieira da Silva, stated that Portugal has the capacity to accommodate 1,245 displaced Ukrainians.
Last year, immediately after the fall of #Kabul to the Taliban, the Portuguese authorities supported and created conducive conditions for officials previously associated with #NATO, EU, or the #UN to leave Afghanistan. The government has also expressed willingness to “support and receive Afghans”.
The Portuguese government seems to have kept its promise to receive Afghan refugees. In October last year, at the online European Policy Dialogue Forum on Refugees and Migration, Portugal’s Secretary of State for integration and migration stated that 251 Afghan refugees taken in by Portugal, had already found employment, with their children being enrolled in schools.
At the forum, the Portuguese government also reiterated its plan to take in more Afghan refugees, giving priority to women whose freedom has been compromised and lives endangered by the rise of the Taliban regime.
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