Huelva: 06 June, 2026 — Portugal opposes return centers outside the European area and is trying to moderate the radical measures of the EU immigration agreement in the final vote.
The Minister of the Presidency responsible for migration, António Leitão Amaro, criticized the regulation on the return of immigrants agreed upon between the main EU institutions. His statement was made yesterday in Huelva, Spain, during the Ibero-American Forum on Migration and Development.
Leitão Amaro stated that Portugal opposes return centers outside the European area and that the Spanish approach is more appealing and facilitating. The official highlighted that the country adopts a moderate stance in the face of proposals considered radical by some member states.
The Portuguese government intends to try to amend some measures, especially in the final vote on the package. In defense of a more restrained approach, Portugal points to limitations on what it describes as measures that exceed its limits, including the idea of sending minors outside the EU. The government reiterated its intention to reverse parts of the provisional political agreement between the European Commission, the Council of the EU, and the European Parliament.