EU mulls ‘blue card’ for skilled immigrant workers
Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini, in a speech at an immigration conference in Lisbon, said he would unveil his “Blue EU Labour Card” to the 27-country EU on October 23 to help entice qualified job-seekers to Europe.
“The challenge is to attract the workers needed to fill specific gaps,” he said, noting that only five percent of people who migrate to the EU were skilled workers, compared to 55 percent arriving in the United States.
The “blue card,” which takes its name from the main color of the EU flag, would entitle highly qualified third country nationals to a series of rights in any of the EU nations.
A fast-track system would be set up to allow such workers to enter the bloc — they could stay for an initial period of two years which would be renewable — and obtain longer-term residence status more quickly, Frattini said.