Unlike most European nations, who are trying to reduce the influx of migrants, Portugal is bucking the trend by looking to immigration as a way to counter its declining population.
“We need more immigration and we won’t tolerate any xenophobic rhetoric,” Prime Minister Antonio Costa told activists at a party conference in May, drawing resounding applause.
Demonstrating this openness, Portugal was one of the first that volunteered to take in some of the migrants on board the lifeline, a rescue ship which had been stranded at sea since June 21 after Italy refused it safe harbour.
And as European leaders struggled to reach a deal at a summit last week over who should take in migrants rescued off the coast of North Africa, Portugal’s socialist government was already taking steps to make itself a more attractive destination.