About 120,000 Portuguese emigrants to the UK may be affected by the British Prime Minister’s proposal to cut social support to European Union immigrants.
"According to the Emigration Observatory data, in 2013 and 2014 about 30,000 Portuguese entered the UK each year. This number did not change substantially in 2015 and will not change in 2016 and 2017. This points to about 120,000 Portuguese being affected," says Portugal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
At issue is one of the four conditions put up by David Cameron in his renegotiation of the relationship of the UK with Brussels, prior to a referendum being held on whether to the UK stays part of the EC, or leaves.
In the proposal, Cameron wants Brussels to give the go-ahead to restrict European immigrants’ access to social benefits in the first four years of living in the UK.
Margarida Marquês, Portugal's Secretary of State for European Affairs, commented, "what the UK is proposing in terms of immigration policy does not respect the principle of non-discrimination and this we cannot accept."
The Portuguese reaction was replicated in most countries which export their citizens to the UK in significant numbers. Unsurprisingly, the greatest resistance came from Poland which has 700,000 of its citizens living in the UK.
In a tentative agreement at the end of 2015, France and Germany’s governments said they are willing to accept a suspension of social benefits, but only for a period of three years.
This proposal was well received by the British, "The UK is open to compromise and Cameron has the impression that many European leaders are also ready for it," said a French diplomat.
