Portugal News

Luís Montenegro's government has enough votes to finalize its proposal, supported by Chega and the Liberal Initiative. Petitioners accuse the government of violating the "principle of equality."

A group of citizens is asking, in a public petition , that Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa not enact the Government's proposed law that restricts the entry and stay of immigrants in the country.

The Constitutional Affairs Committee of the Assembly of the Republic approved last Friday, July 11, in detail, the amendments to the Foreigners Law, which now go to a final vote in plenary next Wednesday, July 16.

In an interview with TVI and CNN Portugal, the Chega leader highlighted the red lines for immigration and, regarding the controversy surrounding children's names, said he had information about school principals and parents' associations that confirmed situations of alleged injustice in access to education for Portuguese citizens.

The governor of the Bank of Portugal warned that without this mobility in the labor market, "we would have lost two-thirds of economic growth."

The Governor of the Bank of Portugal (BdP), Mário Centeno, warned on Wednesday that Portugal has no future without mobility and immigrants, at a time when Parliament is discussing new immigration laws. 

The PSD backtracked and agreed to extend the discussion of the Nationality Law until September. The agreement was reached this morning, September 9th, in the Committee on Rights, Freedoms, and Guarantees. The party agreed to hold hearings to hear experts on the matter, provided the process extends only until the third week of September.

According to Social Democratic MP António Rodrigues, the goal is to have the matter resolved before the State Budget debate begins, scheduled for early October. The committee's debate is heated, as was last Friday's plenary session.

The Government's proposals to amend the Nationality Law will be subject to discussion in detail, without a vote, as suggested by the Socialist Party on Thursday. Restrictions on immigration and the naturalization of foreigners were debated in the parliamentary chamber on Friday morning.

After tense debate, Portugal postpones vote on anti-immigration package. Parliament decides to endorse the government's request, which manages to avoid votes in the plenary and send projects to the committee to gain time and ʽunite the countryʼ.

Lisbon, 01 Jul (AIM) - The new secretary-general of the Socialist Party, José Luís Carneiro, warned this Tuesday (01) that the legislation proposed by the Government of the AD Coalition PSD/CDS-PP, led by Luís Montenegro, to be discussed in the Assembly of the Republic (AR), the Portuguese parliament and which aims to increase restrictions on immigration to Portuguese territory and access to Portuguese nationality, is not in a position to have a favorable vote from the PS.

President of STRN says that of the "700 thousand pending processes, around 30% are Sephardic and around 30% are naturalization" of immigrants, estimating that the remainder are of Portuguese descendants.

The Union of Registry and Notary Workers (STRN) estimated this Tuesday that 30% of the 700,000 pending nationality applications are for naturalization of immigrants, regretting that the guardianship does not publish figures.

For experts, immigrants who have five years of residence in Portugal but have not yet applied for Portuguese nationality, they can do so until the Assembly of the Republic approves the Government project.

These reactions to the measures approved by the Government on Monday, in the Council of Ministers, were transmitted in parliament by the Livre deputy Paulo Muacho, by the parliamentary leader of the PCP, Paula Santos, and by the coordinator of the Left Bloc, Mariana Mortágua.

Livre, PCP and Bloco de Esquerda today expressed their total opposition to the Government's proposals that seek to change the laws on immigration and access to nationality, considering them a social setback, unfair and still dubious in constitutional terms.