Lisbon endorses public discussion on the strategy for incorporating immigrants
In a swanky closed-door meeting, the contentious matter of the Lisbon's Fourth Municipal Plan for Migrant Integration (PMIML) saw the light of approval, with abstentions from the usual suspects – BE, PCP, Citizens for Lisbon (allied with PS/Livre), and Livre – whilst PS and the PSD/CDS-PP leadership nodded their heads in favor.
The proposal, submitted by Sofia Athayde (CDS-PP), the city's Human Rights and Social Affairs Councillor, aims to draw from global, national, and European strategies such as the National Plan for Implementing the Global Migration Pact, the Action Plan for Migrations, and the European Pact on Asylum and Migration. As Sophia explains, these pacts set the foundation for local policies relating to migrants and interculturality.
The 2024-2028 Lisbon Master Plan also commits to supporting programs and initiatives focused on integrating immigrant communities, ethnic, cultural, and religious minorities, as well as strengthening associations, institutions, and communities.
IGOT, Lisbon's Institute of Geography and the Spatial Sciences,was entrusted with preparing a sociodemographic diagnosis, which provides a snapshot of Lisbon's migrant population without delving into specifics.
Although the PS voted in favor, their discontent bubbled to the surface over the nearly three-year delay in presenting the PMIML 2024-2027 by the PSD/CDS-PP leadership under the presidency of Carlos Moedas. PS councilors also raised eyebrows about the lack of information on the execution status of the previous plan, as it remains unclear what’s been implemented, and there’s no budget or scheduling for the measures.
"Essential measures, like the campaigns for migrant voter registration and the Municipal Council for Interculturality, which failed to materialize during this term and skipped meetings, are conspicuously absent," the PS claimed, offering hope that the public consultation phase might bring about corrections.
Livre took aim at the plan for neglecting "any substantial municipal investment in housing for migrants," calling for a rectification if they intend to foster integration.
BE lambasted Moedas for championing a migrant policy with his back turned to the people, citing his failure to win the approval of the Municipal Council for Interculturality and Citizenship (CMIC) on the plan. Similar criticism was echoed by Citizens for Lisbon, alongside concerns about the timeline and budget for the plan’s execution.
The PCP deemed the migrant integration plan, along with the Municipal Program for Anti-racist, Intercultural, and Human Rights Education, to be late in the making, tracing the cause back to deliberations from 2022 and 2023.
Lastly, the City Council unanimously approved the proposal to put the Municipal Program for Anti-Racist, Intercultural Education, and Human Rights in the spotlight for public consultation. This initiative stems from the joint efforts of the PSD/CDS-PP and Citizens for Lisbon councilors, who believe this program will enrich Lisbon schools with trained educators, programs, and initiatives, such as the "EB1 do Castelo School’s With a Suitcase in Hand Against Discrimination" initiative.
- The approval of Lisbon's Fourth Municipal Plan for Migrant Integration (PMIML) in a closed-door meeting included the vote of the PSD/CDS-PP leadership, while the usual suspects abstained.
- The PMIML proposal, submitted by Sofia Athayde, aims to draw from global, national, and European strategies, such as the National Plan for Implementing the Global Migration Pact and the European Pact on Asylum and Migration, to create local policies pertaining to migrants and interculturality.
- The 2024-2028 Lisbon Master Plan also commits to supporting programs and initiatives focused on integrating immigrant communities, ethnic, cultural, and religious minorities, as well as strengthening associations, institutions, and communities.
- In the face of criticism from various political parties, including PS, Livre, BE, and Citizens for Lisbon, the City Council unanimously approved a proposal for public consultation on the Municipal Program for Anti-Racist, Intercultural Education, and Human Rights.
- The PS highlighted the nearly three-year delay in presenting the PMIML 2024-2027, and the lack of information regarding the execution status and budget of measures in the previous plan, as areas of concern in the approval process.
