Brussels to unveil EU green card system

A SYSTEM to recruit essential skilled workers from Third World countries to fill job vacancies in the EU will be unveiled in Brussels today.

It will point out that more than 80% of the five-to-seven million illegal immigrants that come into the EU each year do not have any skills.

At the same time, many countries cannot find enough workers and are having difficulty coping with the number of illegal immigrants.

The core proposal to be announced by Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini is for a system of circular migration with people who have the necessary qualifications recruited from Third World countries and granted work permits for a limited period of time.

The EU member state wishing to recruit from a specific country would recognise education qualifications, offer language and additional professional training and help the migrants return home.

Those recruited would remain in Europe for a limited period of time on a multiple-entry visa that would allow them to leave and return on a temporary basis, but on condition that they leave permanently when their contract expires.

It would help bridge the gap as Europe ages and more people retire than there are Europeans to replace them over the next 20 years.

Mr Frattini will argue that the system would help to give new skills to the immigrant workers, which would be useful to them when they return home.

A second part of today’s proposal is for stiff penalties against employers who hire illegal immigrants, discouraging them from doing so and at the same time tackling the problem of employers exploiting such people.

“Illegal employment is perhaps one of the most important pull factors encouraging illegal immigration into the EU,” the commission said.

The penalties would include large fines and jail sentences, paying to return home the illegal immigrants, a ban on the employer from tendering for public work contracts, which would affect building contractors in particular, and having to pay back EU subsidies, which would hit farmers especially.

The Government recently introduced a range of work permits and a green card system that increases flexibility in employing people from Third World countries.

Ireland has an agreement where it can opt in to EU immigration policies.