Workers at the Pedrosa & Rodrigues clothing factory in Portugal are worried that something 2,000 kilometers away could endanger their jobs. Sales to Britain make up about half of this family business’s yearly earnings of about 14 million euros. But a British withdrawal from the European Union could make products from Portugal more costly. The factory could possibly lose up to 7 million euros a year, says Ana Pedrosa Rodrigues, who works with buyers of the company’s products. “It would be extremely worrying.” Businesses like Pedrosa & Rodrigues fear they could be hurt by Brexit, Britain’s exit from the EU’s single market. The single market ensures that there are no tariffs on trade and free movement for goods, workers and money. As Brexit-related economic changes hit Europe, small countries like Portugal could be badly hurt.
