In Portugal, Ukrainian refugees have found various forms of support when arriving in a new country. The Portuguese State has also already provided direct humanitarian, military and financial aid to the country.
A year has passed since the world woke up to the news of the invasion of Ukraine, and since then there have been many expressions of solidarity and support from different countries. Portugal was one of them, taking in several citizens fleeing the war and even creating platforms to facilitate the search for information and work, as well as providing financial, humanitarian and military support, most recently by sending three Leopard tanks.
In March last year, an online platform was set up to help Ukrainians and citizens of other nationalities living in Ukraine who were forced to leave the country after the invasion to apply for temporary protection. Portugal granted temporary protection to almost 45,000 Ukrainians between March and December, according to Eurostat data.
The number peaked in March, when most people left the country after the invasion: Portugal took in 23,930 Ukrainians. From there, the numbers went downhill, with the country granting protection to 8,295 Ukrainians in April, 3,560 in May and then about a thousand a month until December, when it received 895. It should be noted that temporary protection allows citizens in need to access housing assistance.
A platform created by the Institute for Employment and Vocational Training (IEFP) to collect available job offers for Ukrainian refugees arriving in Portugal has also been set up and reached 20,000 job offers in less than two weeks. By April, 1,400 Ukrainian refugees already had a work contract in Portugal. The IEFP is also organising courses in Portuguese, the language of the host country, to facilitate the integration of these citizens.
Also in early March, Portugal sent medicines and medical supplies worth around €100,000 to help Ukraine through the European Civil Protection Mechanism.
In May, the Portuguese Prime Minister visited the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, where he signed an agreement to provide 250 million euros in financial assistance. António Costa explained at the time that €100 million would be transferred in 2022 through a Ukrainian account at the International Monetary Fund or through other channels that the European Union will open for direct financing, and €150 million would be transferred to the Ukrainian state over the following three years.
However, this aid will not be paid in full, as the Jornal de Negócios reported on Friday. The commitment was to provide a guarantee of around 55 million euros, as part of the 6,000 million euros in joint financing by the 27 member states of the European Union.
Also on Friday, Fernando Medina’s office said that Portugal’s contribution in 2022 would be 90 million euros: “55 million benefited from an additional guarantee from the Portuguese state, while the remaining 35 million are linked to Portugal’s participation in the European Union’s regular financing mechanisms,” the ministry said in a statement.
The decree law for this year’s budget already provides for a support scheme for Ukraine, which will allow the Portuguese state to provide further financial support to Kiev. This could take the form of “personal guarantees, loans or interest subsidies”.
As for military assistance, Portugal has provided lethal and non-lethal material. However, the prime minister even admitted that while the country has tried to respond to requests from the Ukrainian authorities, ‘we often don’t have the resources Ukraine needs’. Earlier this year, however, the Prime Minister signalled that he would “increase humanitarian and military support to Ukraine”.
Falei hoje com o Presidente @ZelenskyyUa. #Portugal irá reforçar o apoio humanitário e militar à #Ucrânia e vai também participar ativamente na Fórmula para a Paz proposta pelo Presidente Zelensky. pic.twitter.com/MnxhyjKwEm
— António Costa (@antoniocostapm) January 9, 2023
Just last week, the prime minister announced in parliament that three Leopard tanks would be sent to Ukraine in March. However, the Defence Minister has already imposed some restrictions on the military assistance that can be provided, citing the need to balance aid to Kiev with Portuguese capabilities.
As part of its support for Ukraine, Portugal has also reached an agreement on a programme that will allow Ukrainian children to spend holidays on Portuguese territory, the Minister of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security announced. The aim is to “create an alternative space, also from the point of view of mental health, for children to have other spaces to enjoy during their holidays”, explained Ana Mendes Godinho, and the intention is to start this year.
