Lisbon, Jan. 7, 2026 (Lusa) - The minister of Infrastructure assured on Wednesday that border control in Portugal has not been suspended, explaining that only the implementation of the new European system has been interrupted because it does not ensure effective waiting times.
"I want to reassure the Portuguese people: border controls are still in place. Portugal is a sovereign country that respects and strictly controls its borders," said Miguel Pinto Luz, on the sidelines of the official inauguration of the service quality improvement works at Terminal 2 of Humberto Delgado Airport in Lisbon.
The minister said that Portugal had temporarily returned to the previous control system, "which had been in place for a month", stressing that the country maintains strict border controls.
According to the minister, the suspension of the new European Entry and Exit System (EES) has significantly reduced waiting times at the airport.
"What we did was suspend the new European system because it is not yet sufficiently streamlined to guarantee effective waiting times," he explained.
Miguel Pinto Luz said it was not possible to give a date for the resumption of the EES, assuring only that all the technical and human resources necessary to resolve the situation were being mobilised.
"I cannot say today, in all seriousness, whether it will be on day A, B or C. What I can guarantee is that we are doing everything we can to quickly bring ourselves into line with European guidelines," he said.
The minister pointed out that the constraints associated with the new system are not unique to Portugal, stating that the problem of queues "is widespread throughout Europe", although in the Portuguese case it was "more evident" at Humberto Delgado airport.
"In Portugal it is more evident, particularly at Humberto Delgado, and so we had to take extraordinary measures," he said.
"The European Commission has been monitoring this whole process and everything has been done in coordination with Brussels," he said, rejecting the existence of "strong criticism" from European institutions.
"These were legitimate concerns, because the system has to function in a way that is integrated across Europe," he added.
Miguel Pinto Luz also argued that it is necessary to continue investing in Lisbon airport, considering that Humberto Delgado will have to operate "for at least another 10 years" while the new airport is being built.
"Whether it's 10 or 12 years, this airport has to function, and that's why we have to do this work," he said, referring to interventions such as the creation of "10 new jet bridges," almost doubling the number currently in place.
The EES was suspended at Lisbon airport a week ago for a period of three months to reduce queues, a date very close to the 100% entry into operation of the EES throughout the European Union scheduled for April.
The new European border control system for non-EU citizens came into operation on 12 October in Portugal and the other Schengen countries, and since then waiting times have worsened, particularly at Lisbon airport, with passengers sometimes having to wait several hours.
This situation led the government to set up an emergency task force at the end of October to manage the crisis.
SCR/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
