TV station RTP2 - Civil Society

The daily programme broadcast by the Portuguese national TV station RTP2 - Civil Society – hosted by the journalist Ms. Eduarda Maio, had an edition (17/1/2013) dedicated to the relation between the presence of immigrants in Portugal and the cosmopolitan character of Portuguese society. In order to discuss the issue the journalist invited Mr. Feliciano Barreiras Duarte (Secretary of State Assistant to the Deputy and Parliamentary Affairs Minister), Mr. Hugo Seabra (Human Development Programme of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation), Mr. Carlos Vianna (association of Brazilian migrants House of Brazil in Lisbon) and Mr. João António (Portuguese Catholic University). The starting point of the interview was the analysis of the results obtained in the research coordinated by João António and Verónica Policarpo based on a sample (n=1830) selected by the Catholic University’s research and poll centre (CESOP) and covering the mainland of Portugal. The results show a good acceptance of immigrants by Portuguese people but there are often ambivalent responses showing the complexity of the issues dealt with. Hugo Seabra stressed the role of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in sponsoring research in this thematic area through the project of recognition of qualifications of migrant nurses and doctors and also by hosting forums dedicated to different subgroups of migrants living in Portugal (ageing migrants, female migrants and the labour market). Mr. Feliciano Barreiras Duarte mentioned the good score obtained by Portugal in the MIPEX showing the ability of the country to host and integrate foreign citizens and also the changing features of the immigrant population residing here (feminization, for example). The president of the House of Brazil in Lisbon (Mr. Carlos Vianna) focused on the services provided by the association, its role in integrating immigrants and also the consensus among associations on the relevance of working together towards the definition of better integration practices...Watch here