KYIV, Feb. 13 (AP) - Portugal's foreign minister has opened two days of talks with Ukrainian officials about European integration and migrant labor.
including the large Ukrainian immigrant community in his country.
Antonio Martins da Cruz met with President Leonid Kuchma late Wednesday. On Thursday, he was expected to sign a pact with his counterpart Anatoly Zlenko allowing Ukrainians to work on a temporary basis in Portugal.
Ukrainians, many of whom work in construction and agriculture, represent the third-largest immigrant community in Portugal. Some 50,000 Ukrainians work illegally in the country, according to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.
Lisbon introduced quotas and new selection criteria for foreign laborers last year after a surge of workers from Eastern Europe raised fears about the social and economic burden for the Portuguese.
