Monthly Archives: September 2015
Portugal will harbor 1500 migrants or more
It has often been referred to as a “huge humanitarian catastrophe”; the Middle East, Syrian mass migration that has been going on for the past few months is all over the news and Europe has decided to welcome the refugees coming from conflict zones with arms wide open. Among the countries that have confirmed their participation in the collective humanitarian effort, Portugal will harbor 1500 migrants or more.
Portugal answered the May European Union appeal to shelter some of the Middle Eastern and African migrants flooding European countries (particularly Greece, Hungary and Italy) and is making preparations to accommodate around 1500 immigrants. It is hard to estimate an exact number of migrants to be expected, bearing in mind the fact that Greece was the target for over 160.000 people seeking refuge in the country only this year.
According to the New York Times, the recent Oriental migration poses a certain strain on Europe and is meant to function as a “test to core European values.” On September 14th, an emergency interior meeting with the ministers probably followed by a European summit will decide the fate of the following months.
As for Portugal, the capital city’s Town Hall has announced that it will dedicate a 2 million EUR fund to provide temporary lodgings, food, school and health care to refugees. According to Lisbon Mayor Fernando Medina, the money will be distributed in accordance with other Portuguese institutions meant to offer aid.
Portugal today is regarded as a welcoming and tolerant “foster country” and has recently been counted the 5th best country in terms of life quality for expats and foreigners. It is chosen by many Westerners as a retirement spot. It is also an outstanding tourist destination, one you are welcome to explore with Lisbon airport transfer and by car, with Lisbon car hire.
by
Portugal, a warm h(e)aven for expats
Thousands of people flood the Algarve seaside every summer, Lisbon also receives thousands of visitors every month, but there are also those who come here to stay. Portugal, a warm h(e)aven for expats, provides the fifth best life quality for foreigners who decide to relocate in the entire world.
This result was revealed by the InterNations organization, which seeks to help expats adjust to relocating to a new country. Their survey had over 14.000 people living abroad interviewed and questioned about their new circumstances and life quality. Being one of the most comprehensive such survey, the result showed that Portugal is more than generous to its expats.
In this 2015 assessment, Portugal came in among the first of 64 countries in terms of ease of settling and life quality. In terms of safety, health issues and general well-being, Portugal ranks even higher, being the third on the list.
It’s rather hard to say what that means for everyone, but Portugal comes 7th in terms of happiness and 13th when it comes to leisure. That might be a bit biased, we do feel there is a wealth of activities to consider in Portugal and it deserves a higher ranking, but alas, these are the results.
Portugal did get a disappointing 27th place when it came to languages. Apparently this barrier is still quite strong for foreigners foreseeing moving to the country of Fado. However, the most humiliating result was personal finance, Portugal coming in on the 48th place.
Nevertheless, Portugal remains an ever increasingly appealing tourist destination and expat target and since the quality of life is so high, it has become a coveted heaven for Middle-Eastern migrants fleeing the unrest in their home countries. Right now, the government is making arrangements to accommodate some 1500 refugees coming from conflict zones in this recent event described as a “humanitarian catastrophe”.
by
English
Español
Français
