A 'blue card' scheme to boost Europe's share of highly-qualified immigrant workers was proposed by the European Commission today.
Similar to America's green card for foreign workers, the EU plan is one of a series of ideas to bring an extra 20 million Asian and African workers into the Union in the next two decades.
The Commission says it is tackling calls from EU companies for skilled workers to make up for a domestic shortage.
If approved by EU governments, the 'Blue EU Labour Card' will be awarded to 'highly-qualified third country workers' - a passport giving a renewable right to live and work anywhere in the EU, with permanent residency automatic after five consecutive years.
The only proviso - apart from the necessary job qualifications - is that the migrants are taking up posts unable to be filled by EU workers.
EU Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini is on a drive to get EU member states to relax border controls and allow in the necessary legal migrants he says Europe is going to need in the next 20 years.
Many of them, insist the Commission, must be highly-qualified workers, many of whom currently go to America, Australian and Canada.
Latest figures show that 85% of unskilled labour goes to the EU and only 5% to the US, whereas 55% of skilled labour goes to the US and only 5% to the EU.
