Portugal has already demonstrated its readiness to welcome “some migrants” arriving on the Italian island of Lampedusa under the European Union’s solidarity mechanism, according to the government, noting a situation of “great pressure” in Italy.
“Portugal has made commitments in the past through the voluntary solidarity mechanism. [europeu]. We have always expressed our solidarity and readiness to welcome migrants when such situations arise,” said Secretary of State for European Affairs Thiago Antunes.
Speaking to the Portuguese press in Brussels at the end of a meeting of the General Affairs Council, which took place a few days after the European Community announced a new plan to deal with the migration emergency in the European Union (EU), the government official added: “Faced with When great pressure arises or happens shipwreck, our position is always one of solidarity and readiness to welcome within this mechanism of voluntary solidarity.”