Nevertheless, according to Observador, Portugal will remain subject to the solidarity mechanism imposed by the European Union (EU).
The news was first reported by SIC NotÃcias, which reported that the government justified the decision by stating that Portugal lacks the capacity to accommodate the 420 asylum seekers without disrupting the system.
The amount will be disbursed to the European Commission starting in June and will be allocated to the solidarity reserve, which aims to support countries facing immigration pressure.
Distributing migrants
In December 2025, the 27 European Union member states agreed to redistribute 21,009 asylum seekers in 2026. It was also established that Portugal would have to take 2%, or 420 people. However, the government refused to accept the migrants.
António Leitão Amaro contested the calculations made and asked Brussels to reassess the decision. Currently, the European Commission is evaluating Portugal’s situation and deciding whether or not the country will be exempt from the solidarity mechanism, as reported by Observador.