Blue Card (European Union)

[3] The blue card proposal presented by the European Commission offers a one-track procedure for non-EU citizens to apply for a work permit, which would be valid for up to three years, but can be renewed thereafter.

The blue card proposal was presented at a press conference in Strasbourg on 23 October 2007, by the President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso and Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security Franco Frattini.

Shortly after the proposal was presented, it received heavy criticism from governments of developing countries, for its perceived functionality in snatching up talented workers.

Moroccan international economic law professor Tajeddine El Husseini went further, saying that this "is a new form of colonisation, of discrimination, and it will be very hard to find support for it among southern countries".

On 20 November 2008 the European Parliament backed the introduction of the blue card while recommending some safeguards against brain drain and advocated greater flexibility for EU Member States.

Some compromises were made, as "Member States to set quotas on Blue Card holders or to ban them altogether if they see fit.

[10] Germany had enacted the Blue Card legislation partially as of April 2012 focusing on language skills and areas of need such as engineering, mathematics and IT.

The blue card is designed to make it easier for a highly skilled worker to move to the European Union and provides some advantages over other types of residence permit.