Latest news and stories about social integration in Portugal for expats and residents.
Former Prime Minister Passos Coelho advocates for a new immigration model that emphasizes integration and aims to prevent social instability. He reflects on past policies and suggests reforms to create a more effective approach to immigration.
Patriarch of Lisbon Rui Valério argued that immigration does not undermine Portugal’s Christian foundations, emphasising that Catholicism and Christian culture foster a universalist mentality. He stressed the need for integration and respect for the country’s cultural and religious traditions, asserting that newcomers do not threaten or call into question the nation’s Christian character.
Update: Rui Valério reiterated that Catholicism and Christian culture are “a strong promoter of a universalist mentality”, underscoring that immigration does not call into question or jeopardise the Christian character of Portuguese society. He emphasised the importance of integration and respect for Portugal's cultural and religious traditions, arguing that newcomers do not compromise the nation's Christian identity and urging a balanced, inclusive approach to social cohesion.
The Escolhas Programme is one of the oldest social integration initiatives in Portugal and is supported by the European Social Fund Plus
A reflection on the irony of anti-immigration sentiment in a nation with a long history of emigration.
They belong to communities that provide labour in various sectors and are targets of hate speech. We know little about their daily lives. The series listens to young Indians, Bangladeshis, Nepalese, and Pakistanis.
Columnist Henrique Raposo argues that opposing immigration is currently the most unpatriotic stance one can take in Portugal.
A concert celebrating the diversity of the Portuguese language will take place this Wednesday, April 15, at the Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon. The event features the Orquestra Sem Fronteiras, Martim Sousa Tavares, Calema, Carolina Deslandes, Jota Pê, and Dino D’Santiago, a co-founder of the Mundu Nôbu project. The initiative, which has been running for two years, supports young people from Lisbon's social housing neighbourhoods by focusing on self-confidence, personal development, and building life projects that transcend societal stereotypes. Participants like Hugo Pires and Bárbara Fortunato share how the project has provided them with the encouragement and practical guidance needed to pursue their education and discover hidden talents.
Previously, life happened in public spaces where we could simply walk in and see friends and colleagues, but now not even that. A column by Gonçalo Soeiro Ferreira.
As the only EU country in this situation, Portugal sees its new strategy being prepared by AIMA, with a transition planned for the CIG. The Socialist Party (PS) has already requested an explanation from the ministry.
Portugal has been without a strategy for Roma communities for three years and is currently the only European Union country without an active strategy in place.
“People who feel lonely are more frequently young, in precarious situations, and have lower incomes,” the researchers concluded.
Relationships with friends are even more decisive for happiness than family relationships, according to researchers. Even so, Portuguese people have been socialising less and less.
Study advocates for the need for public spaces for social interaction.
Loneliness is felt more acutely by people living alone (33%) compared to those living with others (20%)
We all know someone who turns every conversation into a venting session, who sees a catastrophe where there is only a setback, and who leaves us more tired than a week of work. Is negativity contagious?
The problem is when we no longer know how we are being seen or if we are being seen at all. And then, fear appears. Not as a dramatisation, but as a perception. Opinion piece by Sérgio Ignácio.
The conference will bring together representatives from various universities and will be held between April 8th and 10th. 'The words we use influence the way we understand the world,' says a professor.
When a migrant arrives in Portugal, “I see a brother, and I am not saying this to be poetic; I do not have a poet's vein.” Rui Valério, Patriarch of Lisbon, was this evening's guest on RTP's Grande Entrevista. When questioned about the delay in compensation for victims of abuse, the bishop argued that the church was courageous in that process.
Lisbon City Council will provide 261,187 euros in financial support to the O Companheiro association for a programme integrating inmates in open prison regimes and former inmates into urban cleaning and green space maintenance tasks. This measure is part of a 4.3 million euro social support package to be approved by Carlos Moedas' executive, which also includes funding for school transport, support for homeless shelters, addiction recovery centres, refugee integration, and administrative support for child protection commissions.
Emigration does not just displace people; it displaces sensibilities. Its impact is not only on the economy or demographics, but on the way society learns to look at and recognise new presences. Opinion by Sérgio Ignácio.
We speak easily of rights, but our language has lost the vocabulary of responsibility and honour in communal life, among neighbours and as a people.
“There are more migrants who, even while working, are homeless or living in shelters.” The Renovar a Mouraria organization has been fighting for 18 years for the revitalisation of this Lisbon neighbourhood.
A memory of people who witnessed the Second World War, Humberto Delgado, friends dying in the overseas territories, the man on the Moon, the 25th of April and the 25th of November, the EEC and the mobile phone, the bankruptcy and the pandemic, and who did everything for the Fatherland.
The right debate, in a liberal democracy, is not whether one can pray, but where and how communal prayer takes place in public spaces — and whether, in certain contexts, a rite transforms into political discourse.
There are children and pre-teens who seem to repeatedly seek out very exclusive (almost dependent) friendships with peers who are domineering or exhibit unhealthy behaviours.
The Duetos - Diálogos Além-Mar project is hosting a special edition this Tuesday (24) dedicated to female representation, focusing on the experiences of Black women in Portugal. The discussion features sociologist Carolina Coimbra and journalist and writer Cleidi Pereira, moderated by actress and director Thaís de Campos, covering topics such as childbirth and cleaning work. The event takes place at 7 pm at Greta Livraria in Lisbon and will also be streamed online via the YouTube channel of the Brazil-Europe Integration Forum (FIBE), which is responsible for the initiative. The event is part of the project's cultural programme, which promotes dialogue between Brazilians and Portuguese people on contemporary issues.
In an interview with DN Brasil, author Álvaro Filho discusses his new book of chronicles, 'Eu não falo brasileiro', and addresses the challenges of linguistic prejudice and xenophobia faced by the Brazilian community in Portugal, particularly within the school system.
The Ocup_AR project is promoting a series of activities this Saturday, the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, at Casa Capitão in Lisbon.
Humorist and writer Gregório Duvivier visited Lisbon for his play 'O Céu da Língua' and the launch of his new book, 'a Flor da Língua'. During an event at the Palácio Galveias Library alongside Portuguese writer Ricardo Araújo Pereira, Duvivier expressed his perplexity regarding the rise of xenophobia in Portugal, noting the country's own history of emigration and its current reliance on immigration. He emphasized the cultural strength and complementarity between Brazil and Portugal, advocating for more dialogue to bridge the two nations.
After participating in the launch of Brazilian actor and writer Gregório Duvivier's latest book in Lisbon, Ricardo Araújo Pereira highlighted the importance of cultural exchange between Brazil and Portugal and criticised the rise of xenophobic rhetoric in the country. The Portuguese comedian argued that Portugal's history and social formation make such behaviour particularly contradictory, given that the movement of people and cultures has always been central to the nation's identity. During the event at the Palácio Galveias Library, he noted that racism is stupid everywhere, but especially so in Portugal due to its history of miscegenation. He also emphasised the role of humour and culture in reducing prejudice, noting that much rejection stems from ignorance. The event also featured discussions on linguistic differences between the two countries, with Pereira highlighting how humour helps bridge the gap between Brazilian and Portuguese cultures.
