You are in:
- Archives » 2007 » October 2007
Blue Card Blues
More on the European Commission's plans to introduce a "Blue Card" system for skilled immigrants, to rival the US's famed Green Cards.
EURSOC discussed this story in depth September 13, when the proposals were first touted by EU justice commissioner Franco Frattini. We noted that the Commission was planning to replace talk of "immigration" with the more positive phrase, "mobility."
We concluded that the Blue Card was likely to get the Red Light, thanks to Germany's opposition to the measures proposed. Frattini wanted to see a residency card, renewed every two years offering permanent residency after five. Holders could move to another EU nation after two years of work in the first nation of residence.
Germany, however, knocked the plans back, arguing that it couldn't handle the expected influx of immigrants, not least because it has several million unemployed citizens who it hopes can be encouraged to work. Ireland, Denmark and Britain were also thought to be opposed to the idea - Britain, for one, is studying a points system for skilled immigrants, while France's Nicolas Sarkozy is also said to be toying with the idea of points-based immigration.
In the six weeks since the proposals were unveiled, Germany and France must have dropped their reservations: The proposals were officially unveiled in Strasbourg yesterday. The BBC claims that Britain, Ireland and Denmark will likely retain their opt-outs, but that "other EU members will have to take part."
Unified immigration policy under any other name, anyone?
“At the moment, most highly skilled workers go to Canada, the United States and Australia. Why? Because we have 27 different and conflicting procedures in the EU. If we want to boost growth and jobs we must act – but it will only work if we act together,” the Commissioner says. It is worth adding that not every EU nation is attractive to "highly skilled workers", and the reasons for this go beyond the fact that immigration procedures vary from country to country, but that's another story.
That said, the initial requirements for a Blue Card don't exactly represent an "open doors policy":
"To be eligible, new immigrants would need to show a recognised diploma and have at least three years professional experience", says the BBC.
"They would also need the offer of a job, for a minimum one-year contract, which could not be filled by an EU citizen."
Also, the contract must offer a salary at least three times the level of the minimum wage in the country where the job is located.
Europe is keen to claim its share of skilled immigrants, the Indian and Korean tech wizards who have helped make Silicon Valley the world's leading innovation centre. Frattini claims the EU faces a severe skills shortage - there will be a shortage of 20 million workers by 2030, he says.
There are also serious concerns about the fact that Europe is the number one destination for unskilled immigrants.
The Times reports on the differences between the immigrants the EU attracts and those who seek entry into the USA:
"About 85 per cent of global unskilled migrant labour heads to the EU while only 5 per cent goes to the United States, the commission argued. In contrast 55 per cent of skilled labour goes to the US and just 5 per cent to the EU."
The newspaper adds that "highly skilled immigrants" make up just 1.7 percent of the EU's working population, in comparison to 3.2 % in the US, 5.3 in Switzerland, 7.3 in Canada and 9.9 percent in Australia.
It would be an understatement to say that the Blue Card scheme leaves some questions unanswered. Does this new drive for millions of highly skilled workers mean that Europe is going to slam the door shut on the current influx of unskilled migrants, or will today's levels of immigration continue?
What about training, or "invest, don't import" as a commentator on the BBC's Have Your Say pages demands. Is Europe really incapable of growing its own doctors, engineers and IT specialists?
Others on the Beeb's comments site argue that rather than a shortage of IT workers, there's a glut, reporting anecdotal evidence of 50-60 applicants for a single IT job in Britain.
Britain's population is expected to increase by up to 15 million in the next couple of decades, while other EU nations experience a sharp downturn in numbers. France and Ireland are also growing faster than the EU average. Britons grumble their island is overcrowded: The French complain that there are no jobs to be had, even for the highly skilled.
Rather than looking into emulating the USA's Green Card system, perhaps the EU should be examining that other very American institution, the incredible geographical mobility American citizens experience in the search for work.
Encouraging internal movement within the EU from high population and skills nations to those with a demand for these services could be a better generator of growth than immigration. The prospect of moving to Greece may be daunting for a French programmer, but no more so than the culture shock experienced by an Indian relocating to Scotland. And if millions of Asians can be expected to surmount the language barrier, then it can't be beyond the ability of Europeans to do the same.
