Today the European Commission is
presenting an Action Plan to support Member States in the integration of
third-country nationals and their economic and social contribution to the EU,
as well as a legal proposal to reform the rules on highly skilled migrants
coming to the EU to work, which will support European businesses in attracting
qualified and talented people from around the world. These initiatives follow
up on the commitment in President Juncker's Political
Guidelines, which set
legal migration as a priority for this Commission.
Dimitris Avramopoulos, Commissioner
for Migration, Home Affairs, and Citizenship, said: “If we want to manage migration in
the long-term, we have to start making those investments now, in the interest
of us all. The early and effective integration
of third-country nationals is key
to making migration a benefit for the economy and
cohesion of our society. At the same time, we have to better equip our
systems to deal with labour market and skills shortages in the
future. The revised EU Blue Card scheme will make it easier
and more attractive for highly skilled third-country
nationals to come and work in the EU and
strengthen our economic growth."
An EU
Action Plan on integration
Today's Action Plan provides a common policy framework and supporting
measures which should help Member States as they further develop and strengthen
their national integration policies for third-country nationals. Member States
– at national, regional and local level – are at the forefront when it comes
to integration. The Action Plan sets out the concrete policy, operational
and financial support to be delivered at EU level to support them in their
efforts.
Ensuring that third-country nationals can contribute economically and
socially to their host communities is key to the future well-being, prosperity
and cohesion of European societies. A study published today by the Commission
services confirms that, if well and quickly integrated, third-country nationals
can contribute to a better performance of the labour market, help address
demographic challenges and improve fiscal sustainability. There is a clear risk
that the cost of non-integration will be higher than the cost of investment in
integration policies.
Despite efforts by Member States, migrants and recognised refugees from
third countries who are legally resident in the EU continue to face an
increased risk of poverty or social exclusion.
Whilst integration policies remain very much a national competence, in
the current context many EU Member States are facing similar challenges, and
the EU level can add value through the structural and financial support it
provides.
Actions are proposed in key-areas such as: pre-departure and pre-arrival
integration measures, in particular for people in clear need of international
protection who are being resettled; education, employment and vocational
training; access to basic services; and active participation and social
inclusion. A more strategic and coordinated approach is also proposed for the
use of EU funds to support national integration measures.
Under the New Skills Agenda for Europe, the Commission will also support
labour market integration with various tools to improve migrants' skills and to
recognise and benefit from their existing qualifications.
Actions to support the integration of third-country nationals need not,
and should not, be at the expense of measures to benefit other vulnerable or
disadvantaged groups or minorities.
Attracting
highly skilled migrants: A reform of the EU 'Blue Card'
The EU Blue Card scheme, adopted in 2009, has proven insufficient and
unattractive so far and is therefore underused. Restrictive admission
conditions and the existence of parallel rules, conditions and procedures at
national level have limited the use of the EU scheme. Only 31% of
highly-educated migrants to OECD countries chose the EU as a destination,
meaning skilled workers are choosing other destinations which compete
economically with the EU.
Today's proposal revamps the existing rules and aims to improve the EU’s
ability to attract and retain highly skilled third-country nationals, since
demographic patterns suggest that even with the more skilled EU workforce the
New Skills Agenda aims to develop, there will still be a need to attract
additional talent in the future.
·
The new
proposal establishes a single EU-wide scheme, replacing parallel national
schemes for the purpose of highly skilled employment to provide more clarity
for applicants and employers and make the scheme more visible and competitive.
·
It enhances
intra-EU mobility by facilitating the procedures and also allowing for shorter
business trips of up to 90 days within the Member States who apply the Blue
Card.
·
It lowers
the salary threshold by creating a flexible range within which Member States
can adjust the threshold to their labour markets contexts, and foresees more
appropriate conditions for recent third-country national graduates and workers
in areas with a labour shortage.
·
Under the
new Blue Card scheme, highly skilled beneficiaries of international protection
will be able to apply for a Blue Card.
·
The proposal
strengthens the rights of both the Blue Card holders (allowing for quicker
access to long-term residence status, immediate and more flexible labour market
access) and their family members (ensuring they can join the EU Blue Card
holder simultaneously), which should make the EU a more attractive destination
for the highly skilled employees which our economy needs.
The new Blue Card Scheme would bring an estimated positive annual
economic impact of between €1.4 billion to €6.2 billion from additional highly
skilled workers coming to the EU to take up jobs. Member States would remain
responsible for deciding on the numbers of third country nationals admitted on
their territory to seek work, in line with the Treaty. They can also carry out
a labour market test if the labour market undergoes serious disturbances, such
as a high level of unemployment in a given occupation or sector, including in part
of their territory.
The United Kingdom, Ireland and Denmark are not taking part in the
adoption of this Directive and are not bound by or subject to its application.
Background
Action
Plan on integration of third country nationals: Whilst responsibility for integration lies primarily
with the Member States, the EU has established measures to provide incentives
and support for Member States in their efforts to promote integration of third
country nationals. This includes dedicated funding and instruments addressing
social and economic cohesion across Member States. Today's Action Plan is part
of the set of actions announced in the European Agenda on Migration and the
Commission's Communication
of 6 April 2016.
Reforming
the EU Blue Card Directive: In
April 2014, Jean-Claude Juncker presented as part of his election campaign a
five-point plan on migration, including a call for Europe to show more political determination when
it comes to legal migration. In his Political
Guidelines, President
Juncker announced his intention to promote a new European policy on legal
migration to address skills shortages and attract talent to better cope with
the demographic challenges facing the EU, including through a review of the EU
Blue Card.
The EU already faces significant structural skills shortages in certain
sectors, which have the potential to limit growth, productivity and innovation
in the EU (e.g. healthcare, ICT and engineering). In the future, structural
changes in the EU’s economies will continue to increase the demand for higher
skills that are not immediately available in the labour market, creating
further skills shortages that cannot be filled by the existing EU workforce.
The number of highly skilled third-country national workers currently coming to
the 25 EU Member States applying the Blue Card are by far insufficient to
address these labour and skills shortages, despite the efforts to upgrade the
skills of EU nationals proposed under the New Skills Agenda. The United
Kingdom, Ireland and Denmark do not apply the Blue Card Directive.
For
more information
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