Although Germany has now closed its borders to asylum seekers due to the proliferation of coronavirus, there are countries that are serious about taking the opposite path: in Portugal, the government now plans to immediately grant all illegal immigrants in the country the right of residence.
With this measure, the socialist government of Prime Minister Antonio Costa wants to give migrants free and free access to the public health system and social benefits.
“At the moment, it is important to protect and guarantee, above all, the fundamental rights of the weakest members of society”, – said Interior Minister Eduardo Cabrita.
With a residence permit, migrants will be able to benefit from public assistance, which was adopted only recently as part of the “Coronavirus package”. According to the Government of Portugal, last year about 135,000 out of 580,000 migrants residing in the country received a residence permit.
At the same time, Portugal, along with France, Italy and Spain, calls for support for countries particularly affected by the epidemic. President Costa insists on “solidarity”. He commented on positions such as the Netherlands, which refused to provide financial assistance to the affected countries, and rather urged the EU to investigate why these countries do not have the financial capacity for such activities. This “completely undermines the spirit of the European Union” and is a “threat to the future” of Europe. Observers, however, agree that the costs of “solidarity” should again be paid by sponsors like Germany.