Brussels, 25/01/2007 (Agence Europe) - At the beginning of February, the EU will be opening its very first European Employment Agency in Mali, as an experimental portal for the recruitment of Mali workers who wish to come to the Union, Franco Frattini, Immigration Commissioner, announced on Thursday. The opening of such centres, which are mainly aimed at putting a brake on the massive influx of illegal immigrants to Europe's southern borders, is also envisaged in Senegal, Gambia and Mauritania (EUROPE 9345). The agency will have a flexible structure and will be the point where employment supply and demand offers meet between Mali and the EU, Frattini explained during a hearing of the European Parliament Committee on Citizens' Freedoms and Rights. This initiative, which will mainly be directed at seasonal workers, gives concrete substance to the idea of circular migration for migrant workers. The Commissioner nonetheless pointed out that he did not plan to trample on member state prerogatives regarding legal immigration. “We do not intend to impose workers on states that do not need them”, he said. On 15 and 16 February, the commissioner plans to brief EU home ministers on setting up the centre. On this occasion, he trusts that member states will be willing to rally to his project and that they will agree to resort to labour from Mali. For this first phase, Frattini has called on France, which has a relatively strong foothold in Mali, to provide, for example, operational support by placing officials at its disposal. The commissioner also said it was necessary to grant more rights to highly qualified workers. In this respect, he announced his intention under Portuguese EU presidency in October to propose a “blue card” after the fashion of the American “green card”, to allow card holders to move about more easily throughout the EU (EUROPE 9343). In order to complete the European measures to combat illegal immigration, the commissioner announced that he would be proposing a directive between end March and early April on combating undeclared work (EUROPE 9236). (bc)