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Portugal to receive up to 4,500 refugees, gov't reveals

Xinhua, September 23, 2015 Adjust font size:

Portugal will receive up to 4,500 refugees from Italy and Greece, the Ministry of Internal Administration said on Tuesday.

The decision was approved in Brussels during an extraordinary commission for justice and internal affairs, according to the statement released.

EU governments on Tuesday reached a deal to share 120,000 refugees around most countries in Europe, with the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia all voting against creating the quota.

The number of refugees forecast to enter the EU this year is forecast at 1 million, with around 400,000 residing long-term, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

The ministry led by Anabela Rodrigues approved the proposal for the emergency relocation of more than 120,000 people who seek asylum and considered that Europe had reached a balanced agreement in this sense, according to Portuguese Lusa News Agency.

Rodrigues said there had been practically no alteration compared to what had been discussed in the last cabinet meeting, meaning Portugal would receive around 3,000 people from the total 120,000 refugees in the quota and in total around 4,500. Endit