In a speech at the closing of the Millennium Talks Lisbon – COTEC Innovation Summit, held at FIL in Lisbon, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa noted that Portugal and Europe are witnessing a "wave of anti-migration," considering balancing this attitude "a very difficult task."

"It's a very difficult task to balance the wave we're experiencing around the world, in Europe, and also in Portugal, which is a wave against migration. It's a fact. It has nothing to do with forces A, B, C, or D, because it's all over Europe. It's an old, ageing continent, reacting with fear," he argued.

Psychological

For Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, this fear was heightened by the pandemic and "has nothing to do with statistical reality, but with people's psychological reality." The President of the Republic considered that "the analysis of [immigration] from France or Germany was copied" and emphasised, to illustrate the contradiction between statistics and perceptions, that there is no significant presence of Muslim or Arab immigrants in Portugal.

In managing the migration issue, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa emphasized the importance of "not cutting bridges with the CPLP," because these countries can contribute to key areas of the national economy, such as public works, restaurants and hotels, or social institutions.

The President of the Republic stated that, in these areas, "the Portuguese are being replaced by Brazilians, Angolans, Cape Verdeans, and Ukrainians," adding that "in the past," countries "when talking about regulation" prioritized certain immigrants, as Luxembourg did with the Portuguese.

"In the past, countries, when talking about regulation, thought this way. That's how Luxembourg chose, in due time, the Portuguese. It made a choice. It opted. And, therefore, it created more favourable conditions for the Portuguese compared to the Yugoslavs, the Spanish, the Italians, those from North Africa, and other neighbouring countries," he added.

In the same speech, he emphasised the importance of Portugal "doing well" in a context where the world is not, highlighting Portugal's economic growth, tourism, and foreign investment figures.

"There is no doubt that Portugal is safe, geographically well-located, with unique weather conditions, a unique welcome, hospitality, nature, and human availability (...) everyone who is here, who can travel the world, knows that it is increasingly rare to have these conditions," he added.