EU: Blue Card work permits taken on board

The adoption of a new EU-wide employment permit, the ?Blue Card?, that aims to attract top talent to the European Union and to combat the aging population and declining birth rate in Europe, is to be discussed in September.

In a recent speech at the London School of Economics Franco Frattini, European Commissioner for Justice, Freedom, and Security announced that Member states are very keen to attract highly skilled migrants, such as engineers, doctors and researchers and that it seemed that there was EU consensus regarding the necessity for facilitated work permits for non-Europeans.

The blue card would allow migrants to travel and work in any country within the European Union rather than their having to deal with the all the different visa and work permit requirements of each member nation. The card also allows workers to bring along their immediate family.

A critical need for skilled workers in many Member States, including the United Kingdom and Germany, is already evident in a number of sectors. This demand will grow as 20 million workers will leave the workforce between now and 2050.

Addded to this, estimates say that labour shortages will peak by 2050 when 25 million Europeans are expected to retire from work and one-third of the population will be over 65 years of age.

Although increased immigration alone is not seen as the solution to ageing populations, it is seen as key toward mitigating the problem in the immediate future. Canada, Australia and New Zealand have in recent years been developing creative solutions along these lines and Europe aims to follow in their lines.

"I am offering a simplified procedure, facilitating the access of people who are needed … but it is up to each member state to determine how many [non-European] experts they need" concluded Frattini.