EU Commission proposes migrants' green card

BRUSSELS, Jan 9 (Reuters) The European Commission will propose a green card this year giving highly skilled migrants easier access to the European Union, officials said today.

The US so-called green card is a coveted identification card that allows immigrants to live and work in the United States and eventually apply for US citizenship.

The EU proposal touches on one of the hottest political issues in Europe -- immigration -- and could face strong resistance from several EU states, all of which have to agree for it to come into effect.

''We are going to make a specific proposal for the admission of high skilled workers. We foresee a green card,'' an EU Commission official told Reuters.

''The green card would be valid in the 27 EU states, to be attractive,'' the official said. The EU executive plans to present the proposal early in the second half of 2007.

Under the EU plan, which is still being drafted, access might be subject to certain limits, a second official said. But the overall aim would be to make it easier for migrants with a green card to work in a number of EU states, he said.

Germany, which took over the rotating six-month EU presidency on January 1, has led opposition to any pan-EU policy on legal migration, rejecting interference in its labour market.

Germany's then ruling Social Democrats introduced a Green Card programme in 2000 to try to lure foreign computer experts from India and other countries.

RESTRICTIONS EU officials argue a pan-EU programme, allowing skilled migrants to around the bloc, would be more attractive.

Marriage to a US citizen is one of the easiest ways for a foreigner to obtain a U.S. green card, but it is also based on employment criteria with priority for highly skilled candidates.

Australia and Canada have a points-based system favouring those with high education and language skills.

In the EU, the approach to legal immigration differs from country to country. Most allow only limited new immigration except for family reunification, and work permits for people with specific skills and a job contract.

The EU is also struggling to sort out its own citizens' right to work within the bloc. Citizens of some older member states fear floods of cheap workers from the bloc's newcomers.

Many old EU members still impose restrictions on workers from the ten mostly ex-communist member states which joined in 2004, and from Romania and Bulgaria which joined on January 1.

While they have done little on legal migration, EU states have in the past few years beefed up their cooperation on illegal migration, including joint patrols to prevent African migrants reaching the wealthy bloc by boat.

Reuters BDP GC2105