EU Blue Card
Politicians and bureaucrats on the European Union level have been watching the big picture for some time now, and came up with a somewhat awkwardly titled paper called “On an EU Approach to Managing Economic Migration” in January 2005. The originator of the idea, the EU commissioner for justice Franco Fratini, called the idea a “Blue Card” after the color in the European flag. The plan is part of a wider set of rules which are destined to overhaul working rights rules for legal residents of the European Union.
Full details on the Blue Card are expected in the fall of 2007. In 2006, the EU passed a law on permanent residency which significantly expanded the rights of non-EU citizens who are permanent residents in most EU states.
Among the rights which the Blue Card might give include the ability to move between EU member states on a periodic basis without having to get work permits to change jobs. The number of people taking advantage of the Blue Card scheme, though, may be subject to local conditions. Governments may decide that they need only a certain number of holders at any one time. The practical effect may be to spread talented non-EU citizens between traditionally popular and less popular destinations (i.e. “Paris is full-up, how about Lisbon or Bratislava?”) Indeed, some national governments may opt not to take anyone, but that will be their economic loss.