Government says Brussels data prove successful migration policy

O Government today argued that the European Commission’s data on migratory pressure show that its policy in this area “has produced results”, claiming that they concern the period in which part of the reform was already implemented.

“ The data now released by the European Commission (EC) show that the change in migration policy implemented by the government is on the right track and has produced results,” said the Presidency Minister, António Leitão Amaro, to Lusa.

This reaction follows the annual report on migration management, under the Pact on Migration and Asylum, released today by the EC, which concluded that Portugal is not under migratory pressure, but is the second country of destination with the highest number of return alerts for the population issued by other Member States of the European Union.

According to the document, Portugal does not fall within any of the main categories of migratory pressure or risk of migratory pressure, one of only four countries, among the 27 Member States of the European Union (EU), where the migratory pressure situation does not arise.

According to the office of Leitão Amaro, in 2025, Portugal contested an assessment regarding 2024, claiming that “it did not adequately reflect the migration reality of the country inherited from the socialist governments”.

The same source pointed out that, between 2017 and 2024, the “foreign population quadrupled” and there was almost a “million cases pending, the manifestation of interest allowed unchecked entry and the State had no administrative response capacity or control of its borders”.

“ Moreover, the European methodology focuses mainly on asylum and irregular entry into external borders, not capturing all the migratory pressure felt in the country, camouflaged by the Manifestation of Interest”, said the response to Lusa.

As indicated, the report now published evaluates a different period, from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026, when “a large part of the reform of migration policy was already implemented”.

Until this period, “the manifestation of interest was eliminated, the laws of foreigners, nationality and return were changed, a Mission Structure was created, which served more than 763 thousand immigrants and issued some 500,000 residence permits, the National Foreign and Border Unit was created in the PSP and border control was strengthened and the entry into force of the European Pact on Migration and Asylum was prepared”, the Government reiterated.

“This change of trajectory is reflected in the data,” the office of Leitão Amaro argued, pointing out that the growth of the resident foreign population “has dramatically slowed down in 2025, with a decline in the growth of the foreign population of 85%”.

At the same time, the “State has regained the capacity to decide who is able to stay and who is to leave” the country, gave the same source, to whom this change “is also reflected in the report”, which puts Portugal as the second EU country in return alerts and the third in return orders, in proportion to the population and GDP.

“Portugal has gone from an uncontrolled situation to a regulated immigration policy. We did not close the doors to immigration, but today there are rules and greater capacity of the State to enforce them”, he said.