The Prime Minister of Portugal, Luís Montenegro, made it clear this Friday that Lisbon does not contemplate suspending the Schengen area with Spain, although he has advanced a reinforcement of surveillance at the borders, especially at the maritime and land crossings in the south of the country, in response to the migration crisis triggered in the Spanish city of Ceuta.
"I believe there is no reason for us to take measures that suspend the rules of the Schengen area, but there are reasons to reinforce the presence of law enforcement at border controls, especially in the areas closest," he indicated in statements to the public broadcaster RTP.
The head of the Portuguese Government has called for calm and emphasized that he considers it "appropriate" to intensify controls in the southern region. "The matter is serious and deserves to be supervised, but I believe there is no need to panic and make random decisions that should be carefully considered, matured, and framed realistically within the situation," he said.
Later, Montenegro insisted on this same idea through his social networks, where he admitted that "the situation is serious, but Ceuta does not enjoy the same freedom of movement as the rest of the Schengen area."
"This situation demonstrates that a regulated and humanitarian immigration policy is necessary, and that everyone must avoid making decisions that could act as a 'pull effect.' Portugal is committed to its recent decisions and to the European Union's migration pact," Montenegro added.
Meanwhile, the far-right party Chega, led by André Ventura, has announced that it will bring a proposal to Parliament to temporarily suspend the application of Schengen with Spain and restore controls at the land borders, in what it has termed a "migration invasion."
The Portuguese Executive had previously indicated, through a statement, that it maintains constant contact with the governments of Spain and Morocco. In this context, the National Republican Guard and the Maritime Police cooperate with their Spanish counterparts and carry out coordinated actions.
The migration crisis has also had repercussions in other European countries, with Italy suspending the free movement agreement with Spain. According to the latest update from the Government, 48,300 immigrants have returned to Morocco from Ceuta by 6 PM on Friday, July 31.