Brussels, 07/06/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 7 June, the European Commission proposed reforming the European blue card system by getting rid of existing national systems, in an attempt to facilitate the entry into the European Union of "highly skilled migrants".
This system was set up in 2009 and according to the Commission is a failure because the EU does not appear to be attracting the most talented migrants. 69% of the latter preferred to go to another OECD country, particularly the US. It is also the example of the US's famous "green card" system that the Commissioner for Migration and Home Affairs, Dimitris Avramopoulos, mentioned in his presentation of the proposal for reform of the 2009/50/EC directive.
The approach chosen by the Commission is not the most radical of those envisaged because it maintains the scope and general framework of the current directive. The new system is still expected to exclusively focus on the most qualified migrants. However, the Commission is proposing to slightly extend and facilitate access to this system to make more third country nationals eligible, thanks to a lower general salary threshold and a lower minimum duration of the contract (6 months). Faster and more flexible procedures are also proposed. Those requesting international protection in the EU will have access to it, but not asylum seekers.
Those who benefit from the new "blue card" will have more rights at the same time, such as more rapid access to long-term residency status. They will also find intra-European mobility easier, as well as bringing their family into the EU.
Member states will have to abolish their respective equivalent national systems. They will, however, still have the right to set out the volume of "blue cards" granted to those they want to have access to their labour markets. There will be exceptions included, however, particularly in the event of an economic crisis occurring. (Original version in French by Jan Kordys)