Brussels has confirmed a new European Union policy where Portugal will pay roughly 20,000 euros for each asylum seeker it doesn’t accept, a move highlighting the growing tensions over migration policy within the bloc. The decision, formalized through the Official Journal of the European Union, relates to the European Pact on Migration and Asylum and its annual solidarity reserve for 2026.
António Leitão Amaro, Portugal’s Minister of the Presidency, confirmed the decision, explaining that European bodies were informed Portugal’s “reception and return reception structures” for asylum seekers are “much more crowded than expected.” “We are committed to the solidarity mechanism, but we do not have the capacity to receive more refugees in our facilities,” he stated.
Portugal initially opposed the agreement to distribute 21,000 asylum seekers, objecting to the methodology that would have required the country to accept 2% of those seeking refuge. The nation ultimately offered a financial contribution instead, choosing to abstain from the final vote. “We have people in an illegal situation in a much higher number than expected. Not a few hundreds, but several thousand,” Amaro said in Leiria, referencing data from last summer. “This data was not taken into account by the European Union in the calculations it made between those who receive migrants and those who pay.”
Spain, Slovenia, Estonia, Belgium, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Finland and Sweden have also opted to pay into the reserve. Hungary and Slovakia made no commitments. The remaining EU member states will accept migrants directly.
Funds May Be Reclaimed
Amaro indicated he will discuss with Brussels the possibility of suspending the payment commitment to better reflect Portugal’s current capacity. He emphasized that the European Commission has acknowledged, in writing, that Portugal’s situation differs from the statistics used to formulate the solidarity mechanism, which are based on “outdated statistics.” The Minister of the Presidency stated that a decision on whether the payment will be “suspended and returned” will be made by the end of the semester.
According to the Official Journal of the EU, the annual solidarity reserve for 2026 is intended to “provide effective support to Member States that are under migratory pressure in a balanced and effective way.” Greece, Cyprus, Spain and Italy were identified as facing the greatest pressure due to a high volume of arrivals following search and rescue operations, accounting for 42% of total irregular arrivals.
Twelve additional Member States are considered “at risk of migratory pressure,” though to a lesser degree. Portugal is not included on this list.
