(ANSAmed) - PARIS, APRIL 27 - The Socialist candidate in
France's presidential election, François Hollande, has said this
morning that a "limitation of economic immigration" is
"indispensable" at a time of crisis, adding that, if elected, he
will ask Parliament to provide a yearly figure regarding the
workforce numbers needed by the French economy. "I believe that
there will never be zero immigration and that legal immigration
will also exist", Hollande told the radio station RTL. "Can the
numbers be reduced? We can discuss it. As far as foreign
students are concerned, I am not in favour [of limiting
numbers]. I believe that the presence of foreign students in our
universities is an opportunity, not only for the students but
also for us," Hollande said.
"Then there is the issue of economic immigration, and at a time
of crisis such as we are currently experiencing, limiting
economic immigration is necessary and indispensable," Hollande
said. The Socialist candidate added that he also wants to
"combat illegal immigration from an economic point of view. It
is not normal that some businesspeople cynically use an illegal
workforce". With regard to what he called "economic"
immigration, Hollande also stated that "Parliament will set the
figure of [the French economy's] requirements every year".
(ANSAmed).
