Portugal was (one of) the first countries in the world to approve its National Plan to implement the Global Compact on Migration. The National Implementation Plan is structured around the following 5 fundamental axes: 

• Promotion of safe, orderly and regular migration; 

• Improvement of migration flow organization and integrated border management processes; 

• Promotion and qualification of immigrant reception and integration mechanisms;

• Supporting the connection of migrants to their country of origin and their return projects; 

• Increasing development partnerships with countries of origin and transit, addressing the root causes of irregular migration.

With 23 common objectives to cover all the relevant dimensions of migratory phenomena, the Plan defines the set of measures appropriate to the Portuguese national reality, seeking to improve flow management and reception and integration processes. 

This Plan was conceived as an operational document, thus assuming 97 measures that seek to address the adverse causes of migration and to enhance its benefits for demographic sustainability and the labor market. It was approved by Council of Ministers Resolution 141/2019 of 20 August. The implementation of the national plan is seen by the Portuguese Government as ‘a unique opportunity’ to systematize the country’s migration policy.