EU considers green card scheme

Jan 12 2005 by Brian Amble Print This Article

The European Union is considering introducing a US-style green card system to attract skilled immigrants, according to Justice and Home Affairs Commissioner Franco Frattini.

Proposals published on Tuesday by the Commission include ideas to target skilled workers to fill specific short-term job shortages as well as a green card-type scheme to encourage longer-term labour immigration.

"This does not contain pre-cooked solutions. Rather it poses the right questions. It is a bottom-up rather than a top-down approach," Frattini, said.

"It does not open the door to unrestricted economic migration to the EU."

The Commission points out that despite the opposition to immigrants in many EU states, the number of working-age people in the EU will fall by 20m between 2010 and 2030.

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Older Comments

I always thought about this idea and I knew it will become reality one day and I think it is going to be a good idea; however, it should not open the door for jobless candidates to escape to Europe for a better quality of life. The mechanism in which this green card should be granted should really exceed the typical existing rules and regulations and it should have more sensible criteria than the existing ones in USA.

I learned from this experience that there are set of values and immeasurable factors that contribute to the personality rather than being a skilled labour or having an outstanding curriculum vitae.

Although 1.I have obtained my Diploma and MA in the UK, 2. I very much understand and European system,3. I have cousins and relatives who are living and working for highly reputable organisation in the EU,4. I travelled across all European countries several times, flying and driving,5. I have experienced and always appreciated Europe as a continent, 6. my curriculum vitae seem to be very impressive as I have already worked with multi national European companies, and 7. I believe I was keen about the UK while there as a country more than many local British residents. Despite all the previous mentioned points, I was in the Netherlands embassy in Cairo first week in July 2006 and I met a lady who speaks Arabic (ONLY) and (with no even poor English or Dutch). She was there to renew her passport (European passport), and I was wondering, in what mechanism or under any circumstances she become eligible to obtain this valuable passport while I should wait two weeks to obtain a single entry visa.

Holding a European passport or a European green-card might be a dream for individuals from developing countries who seeks better quality of life, but it is your role to preserve the local European identity and not just encourage people to obtain it based on, only, written documents (i.e marriage certificate, large business,..etc) but rather look deeper and only issue the European green-card to people who really deserve it and welling to have a positive contribution to the European nation.

Amir Gohar Currently in Netherlands (Based in Egypt)