Portugal says it has no plans to pay reparations for colonization

Portugal says it has no plans to pay reparations for colonization – After the Portuguese president defended reparation measures for colonization, such as debt cancellation, and was approached by Brazil for talks, the government says it has not initiated any procedure in this regard. After the Portuguese president Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa defends compensation measures for former colonies and is sought out by Brazil for talks, the Portuguese government announced this Saturday (27/04) that it does not plan to pay reparations for slavery and colonialism.

Earlier this week, speaking to foreign journalists, Rebelo de Sousa said that Portugal “takes full responsibility” for past mistakes and that crimes committed during the colonial era had “costs”. “We have to pay the costs”, he declared, further arguing that the country had an “obligation” to lead this reparation process. “Are there actions that were not punished and those responsible were not arrested? Are there assets that were looted and were not returned? Let’s see how we can repair this.”

At the time, the president suggested that these reparations could take place through the cancellation of debts owed by former colonies, the development of special cooperation programs or through the offer of financing.