SLOVENIA / FILE: Franco Frattini proposes project to manage migration into the EU at Slovenian conference

The EU will try to curb illegal immigration by starting pilot projects offering temporary legal jobs to workers from countries outside the European Union, a conference heard in Slovenia on Thursday (October 4). EU Commissioner for justice and security, Franco Frattini, was speaking at the conference of ministers of interior affairs from South East European countries. The pilot projects would offer jobs in particular professions that are needed within the EU. "In the near future, and I am confident we will start under the Slovenian presidency of EU, we will start...experiencing pilot projects with the selected number of states, in the region of Western Balkans for example, requesting to have a negotiation with Europe on the basis of their migration profile. This package will include offers of legal jobs, job opportunities on the territory of EU. We need economic migration in the EU and also, these countries deserve our attention," Frattini said after meeting with the interior ministers of Austria, Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Montenegro, Portugal, Romania, Serbia and Turkey. The European Union plans to encourage legal migration into Europe to plug labour shortages caused by an ageing population and curb illegal immigration and people trafficking. Frattini said in Portugal last month he would 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. His plans involves issuing a so called "blue card" residence permit to skilled workers entitling them to work in a member state for an initial two years and to move to a second member state after two or three years' residence in the first one. All EU states would have to agree on the proposal which is modelled on the U.S. green card system. The project has already proved divisive with Germany already signalling its opposition. Delegates at the conference were meeting to discuss more efficient management of illegal migration and organised crime as well as regional cooperation in fighting corruption and security concerns in South-Eastern Europe. Frattini also told the conference that it was absolutely necessary that all countries of the Western Balkans provide their citizens with biometric passports to guarantee identification of people and security of documents.

ITN Source | October 5, 2007

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