ScienceGuide staat voor verdieping. Dit is het platform waar de actualiteit en achtergrond elkaar ontmoeten op een inhoudelijke en doordachte wijze. Onder het uitklapteken vind je dus een toelichting, geheugensteun of voetnoot die de redactie of de auteur toevoegt. Dit doen wij om ervoor te zorgen dat wij in onze artikelen grondig en gedetailleerd in kunnen gaan op belangrijke details, zonder de lezer kwijt te raken.
Europa wil kennismigrantenregeling
Nieuws |
de redactie
14 september 2007 | De Europese Commissie bereidt “radical new plans” voor op het terrein van immigratie. Invalshoek is dat deze de kenniseconomie moet ondersteunen en de vergrijzing van Europa moet helpen tegengaan. Commissaris Franco Frattini zal een “EU blue card similar to the US' green card” op 23 oktober aan de justitieministers voorlegen. Slechts 5 % van de migranten naar Europa is hoger geschoold, terwijl dit in de USA 55 % is. "We have to reverse these figures with a new vision." aldus Frattini.
“The challenge is to attract the workers needed to fill specific gaps”, he said, pointing out that the EU’s working-age population would be in decline by 2011, and a third of the bloc’s population would be over 65 by 2050. According to last year’s figures, about 4% of the EU population, or 18.5 million people, is made up of non-EU citizens. The blue card – the blue comes from the EU flag – would allow skilled workers to work in an EU member state for an initial two-year period. They would then be able to move to another EU country. Under the proposals the immigrants would also gain long-term residency status more quickly.
Mr Frattini also said he would make a second proposal on boosting the rights of legal immigrants to put them on a standing with EU citizens, particularly concerning social security and working conditions. The issue is set to be a major topic at the forthcoming EU-Africa summit in December – with scores of Africans dying every week during the summer months as they try to make it to southern EU member states in boats. Speaking about ‘brain drain’ from the African continent, Mr Frattini said his proposal will “promote ethical recruitment standards” to limit active recruitment policies in countries losing a high number of their own skilled workers to emigration.
Mr Frattini’s proposal – set to be hotly contested among member states wary of Brussels governing immigration policy – is part of a series of proposals in the area. Before the summer, the commissioner announced tough penalties for companies hiring illegal immigrants.
