Inspired by the famous American "green card" scheme, the
European Commission is considering introducing its own "blue card"
system to attract more qualified immigrants.
An impact assessment is currently being drawn up and will be
ready "in the next two months or so" after which the Commission
will draft detailed proposals, EU justice spokesman Friso Ascam
Abbing said.
He admitted that EU member states hold differing opinions over
legal migration but added that "everyone understands immigration
will be part of the solution to the aging population.
"We had better manage immigration properly as it is going to
happen anyway," he said.
The "blue card" - taking its name from the EU flag, blue with
gold stars - "would allow holders to move around the EU," EU
Immigration Commissioner Franco Frattini said recently.
"Today if a multinational wants to move an engineer from a
non-EU country from Rome to Brussels, they have to go through visa
procedures, get a residency permit, a work permit," explained
Frattini, who plans to present a formal proposal on the matter in
September.
The Commission, the EU's executive arm, hopes the scheme will
aid member states as they seek to remain economically competitive
as well as tackle the problems they face from aging
populations.
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The 27-nation European Union trails both the US and Canada, which
have a "very active recruitment policy," an EU official close to
the issue said. "There is that kind of potential in Africa which
could be very useful to the EU."
A green, or indeed blue, card scheme would help the EU bring in
the best workers from abroad, and target areas where they are
particularly needed.
According to Brussels, half the immigrants to North America from
the Mediterranean, Middle East or North African regions are
university graduates. Throughout Europe that figure stands at under
13 percent.
While the Commission does not intend to go as far as the United
States, where the Green Card endows a permanent status, Frattini
stresses that "if it is going to be attractive, there have to be
inducements; no language requirements, the possibility of bringing
the family over and a reasonably long permission to stay, more than
just a year or two."
Many EU nations have been working towards a more selective
immigration policy.
Britain, for example, plans to introduce a points system this
year for selecting immigrants.
Last year France adopted a law creating a "competencies and
talents" card to attract more qualified people, plus high-level
artists and sports people.
The details of the initiative remain to be ironed-out.
Should workers be valued according to their pay scales or their
qualifications, for example.
Whatever the details, overseas workers would not be invited if a
vacant post could be filled by an EU citizen or resident.
The Commission knows that it is treading a fine line, as the
member states have varying needs and are unwilling to hand over
national jurisdiction on immigration matters.
It's an area where unanimity among the 27 member states would be
required for changes, a fact which suggests several years of
discussion lie ahead.
Brussels, a major supporter of African development, wants to
avoid accusations that are increasing the already considerable
African "brain drain."
"Developing countries have at least as much need as we do - to
put it mildly - of their doctors, technicians and nurses," EU
Development Commissioner Louis Michel said last year.
Qualified workers from sub-Saharan Africa, who make up just four
percent of the total active population, constitute over 40 percent
of those who go overseas, according to World Bank figures for
2005.
Under the blue card scheme, EU nations would not recruit from
sectors where there is already a lack of staff in the home nation,
and key workers would return home after a certain period bringing
their acquired experience abroad with them.
(China Daily via agencies March 21, 2007)
