Asylum-seekers and refugee, having managed the bureaucratic complexities made it to Portugal, may apply for a unexpected bonus – farmland on which to start a new life of toil.
The Government has proposed a new law that creates a land bank of unused farmland, to be leased to refugees in preference to Portuguese or EU citizens.
The State aims to list all the land that is usable but not registered as being owned by someone. Young unemployed people and refugees both have preference over other categories.
The creation of the Land Bank and a Land Mobilisation Fund aims to reuse abandoned land and farms where the owners are unknown.
Portugal’s government has tried to attract refugees, especially to rural, depopulated areas but has failed to sign up more than 1,500, 40% of whom leave within 18 months of arrival, seeking better conditions and opportunities in northern Europe.
Portugal is legally required to take in 2,951 asylum seekers from camps in Greece and Italy under the EU emergency relocation scheme, the vast majority coming from the Middle East. The government managed to get its quota upped to 4,600 but still struggles to attract the requisite numbers.
The prime minister stated that he would take in 10,000 refugees, later upping this figure but the cost of settling people who soon leave the country, has scuppered the government's intentions. The executive talks a good game but fails in delivery.
The state offers 18 months of free housing, a monthly stipend of €150 for each migrant, and access to language classes to integrate new arrivals into Portuguese society. The state's welcome pack is hampered by poor management and a mishmash of competing systems, meaning much of what is promised is poorly delivered.
Leasing farms to refugees in remote and underpopulated areas will not help their integration or retention.
Portugal's economy is skewed towards service and tourism-based jobs that require language skills. Most arrivals speak neither English nor Portuguese and placing them in rural areas exacerbates cultural isolation and language problems.
