PORTUGAL/FILE: European Union plans to encourage legal migration into Europe

Speaking at a Immigration conference in Lisbon on Thursday (September 13), EU Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security Franco Frattini said he will present proposals to member states on October 23 aimed at reversing a trend drawing skilled migrants to competitors such as the United States and unskilled workers to Europe. Frattini's plans involve issuing "blue card" residence permits to skilled workers entitling them to work in a member state for an initial two years and to move into a second member state after two or three years' residence in the first EU state. "Workers admitted under these proposals would be issued with a special residence permit allowing them to work, which we will call ''blue European labour card. These would entitled them to a series of rights," he said. The EU commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security for Justice, Freedom and Security explained labour and skills shortage in Europe are already noticeable because of an ageing population. Frattini said 85 percent of unskilled third-country labour was going to the 27-nation EU and only five percent of skilled labour. The United States was attracting 55 percent of skilled migrants and only 5 percent of unskilled labour. Frattini said he wanted to reverse this trend and attract motivated workers. "We have to think of the migration mobility as involving people who are highly motivated and strongly desire to be part in the society they live in. That is precisely why I continue to say that there is no migration without integration," he said. Prime Minister Jose Socrates of Portugal, which currently holds the EU presidency, urged support for the proposal, saying it was crucial to meet labour shortages and curb illegal immigration and people trafficking. "This will be a very important step for social cohesion in Europe and to integrate immigrants into our societies." Portugal will host the first EU-Africa summit in seven years in December, where the issue will be central. Portugal, like Spain and Italy, has seen high emigration to northern Europe and benefited from workers sending earnings home. Increasing numbers of illegal immigrants from Africa are arriving in southern Europe, often taking risky boat trips. Socrates said it was necessary to reinforce control of EU borders "especially the southern maritime frontier". All EU states have to agree on the proposal on the blue-card system, which is modelled on the U.S. green card. It has already proved divisive, touching on one of the hottest political issues in Europe. Germany is among those states which believe that any measure to allow a migrant to enter a country's labour market should remain the sole responsibility of that country. The proposals will include steps aimed at narrowing the "rights gap" between EU citizens and migrant workers and define where equal treatment in areas such as working conditions and social security rights should apply.

ITN Source | September 14, 2007

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