Over 40 percent Portuguese see EU enlargement as negative

About 43 percent of the Portuguese consider the current round of enlargement of the European Union (EU) will have more negative than positive impacts on the country, according to an opinion poll released Monday.

About 64 percent of the Portuguese consider the cheap work force from the new EU members will negatively affect the country, showed the survey conducted by local daily Jornal Publico.

Only 20 percent deem that the country will register gains rather losses with the enlargement and 37 percent regard the expansion as an opportunity for local companies to open new markets, it showed.

About 18 percent in the survey consider it will strengthen political alliances, and 12 percent say peace and security will be consolidated across Europe after the enlargement.

The 15-member EU will carry out its biggest expansion in history on May 1, absorbing into the bloc 10 East European countries -- Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Cyprus and Malta.

Source: Xinhua