The European Commission has stated that there is no question of excluding Portugal from the Schengen area.

The European Commission concluded on Thursday that there was no question of excluding Portugal from the Schengen area due to delays in implementing changes to border controls.

“As for the possibility of suspending the Schengen zone: this scenario is not being discussed. Our priority and our goal at this time is to ensure that member states are ready for the entry and exit system to come into force,” the spokesman said. The head of the Lusa community announced this, recalling that the new system should be implemented “in the fall of 2024.”

At the end of April, the Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Antonio Leitan Amaro, raised the possibility of expelling the country from the Schengen zone – the European zone of free movement of people and goods, which unites the 27 countries of the European Union, Norway and Switzerland – for non-compliance with these changes.

“If we fail, we will get to July and be suspended,” Leitan told Amaru, adding that it would be “a huge problem for Portuguese tourism.”

The minister pointed the finger at the previous government, which in March approved permission to spend 25 million euros but did not launch a tender for the purchase of equipment, which will now have to be purchased by direct agreement, the Expresso weekly reported. in the May 9 issue.

The Internal Security System (SSI) today assured that Portugal “is no longer at risk of suspending the Schengen area”, stressing that it has dealt with the delay in installing a new digital and biometric border control system.

In response to the news of a hypothetical suspension of Portugal, recognized by the Minister of the Presidency, António Leitão Amaru, and to the position taken today by the Expresso newspaper by the representative of the European Commission, who ruled out a suspension scenario, the European Area emphasized the SSI in a statement expressing gratitude to Brussels for the work done.

“The European Commission (…) ensures that it cooperates with all member states, including Portugal, and there is no scenario for our country to be excluded from the Schengen area. She does not deny or correct either SSI or the government. On the contrary, it confirms the progress made. This means that SSI and the government are doing what they must, making every effort to ensure that Portugal becomes part of the new system,” the note said.

The statement also states that “as stated by the European Commission, the Government and SSI, Portugal is no longer exposed to the above-mentioned risk and no such non-compliance scenario arises.”

The body, headed by Secretary General Paulo Viseu Pinheiro, specified that it informed the government “of the tests and preparations for the launch of the entry and exit system (SES/EES) in October this year, and six months later the European Tourist Information and Authorization System (ETIAS )”.

He also mentioned that on 29 April he warned Leitan Amara “of the need for Portugal to comply with the deadlines (…) at the risk of being excluded from the Schengen area”, given that any failure to comply with this process “would effectively jeopardize Portugal’s full participation in the new system.

SSI also highlighted the previous government’s emergency spending authorization of up to 25 million euros, given in February to speed up the resolution of this situation, stressing that the organization and the executive branch are “adhering to the established timetable.”

“Since then, Portugal has been recovering from the delays, step by step informing the government, the Commission, the competent authorities and European partners,” SSI noted, without forgetting to emphasize that the country’s failure to achieve these goals would jeopardize the freedom of movement of people and would require the restoration of internal controls on borders, as well as the possibility of imposing controls in other Member States on people moving to and from Portugal.