Policy recommendations

  • To address the internal push factors for migration, the EU should provide adequate assistance to developing countries and achieve the target of 0.7% of GDP for development cooperation. It should help developing countries to devise effective strategies to retain highly skilled workers, e.g. through development programmes aimed at improving local employment opportunities and working conditions. This is especially necessary in the health sector.
  • The EU should provide targeted investments to train, deploy and retain staff in developing countries who are working in sensitive sectors such as education and health. The EU should also provide long-term budgetary support to underpin the domestic financing of those sectors.
  • The EU should ensure that all its member states sign a legally binding commitment that includes the private sector in order to prevent active recruitment in developing countries. Such a code of practice should address country- or region-specific needs. Furthermore, in order to ensure compliance, the EU should set up a formally constituted body with an oversight and watchdog role in the EU and developing countries.
  • To prevent a negative impact on source countries, the EU should introduce concrete measures to encourage the permanent return of Blue Card holders. Within the EU the portability of social rights should be facilitated. In developing countries, migrants should be offered benefits in order to encourage their return.
  • If the EU attracts workers whose education and training have been provided by their home countries, then these countries of origin should be appropriately compensated for having provided these skills. 
  • The EU should encourage its member states to strengthen their own (national) workforce policies in all sectors in order to become less dependent on foreign workers from less developed countries.

Case: Blue Card

19-11-2008 The EU Blue Card supported by MEPs

19 November 2008

During the debate on the Blue Card in the plenary session in Strasbourg on the 19th of November, many MEPs drew attention to the issue of Brain Drain, and mentioned that it should be taken into account. On the 20th of November the proposal was eventually supported by the MEPs during the plenary vote. It is expected that the Blue card proposal will be voted on within the European Council in early 2009.  

On the 19th of November during the plenary session in Strasbourg the European Parliament discussed the Blue Card report (Rapporteur Ewa Klamt). The Blue Card, to many a sensitive issue, was proposed by the Commission in order to attract highly skilled workers from third countries to the EU. This in order to make the EU able to compete in “the battle of the brains”.

Highly skilled immigrants are needed in the EU in order to solve, amongst others, the aging population problem and to serve the innovation and competiveness in the EU’s knowledge based economy. The Blue Card is very sensitive, as it might lead, in developing countries especially, to increased brain drain in sectors such as the health care and education. Highly skilled workers are extremely important to the development of their countries of origin. If these much-needed highly educated workers leave their countries, they cannot contribute to the development of these countries, unless they return after a few years and share their experiences in their home countries.

Therefore, the EU Coherence Programme urges for circular migration. We have highlighted this issue during an expert meeting in June this year, which led to the inclusion of a provision on circular migration in the Development (DEVE) committee’s opinion on the Blue Card proposal. Also, European companies should back away from the active recruitment of personnel in sensitive sectors such as health and education. Furthermore, in DEVE’s opinion, Policy Coherence for Development is mentioned. On the one hand, the EU development policy is supporting public health in developing countries, but should the blue card under the EU’s migration policy be adopted, it threatens to undermine these development efforts, as the much-needed doctors in developing countries might choose to leave and try their luck in Europe.

On the 4th of November, provisions highlighting the issues described above were proposed by MEPs Armando FranÇa (PSE) and Emine Bozkurt (PSE) in the LIBE committee. Unfortunately, not all of these provisions were sustained by the rest of the Committee members. Nevertheless, both of these MEPs received a coherence star for their efforts to address the policy incoherence resulting from the blue card proposal, for being concerned about the developing countries.

During the Development Days in Strasbourg, the EU Coherence Programme again drew attention to the issue by handing out fake Blue Cards to several MEPs, members of NGOs, visitors from developing countries, and EU Development Commissioner Louis Michel.

Visit the website of MEP Emine Bozkurt

Visit the website of MEP Armando FranÇa