Ageing EU population
The 2003 Communication pointed out that the EU population, due to decreased fertility rates and longer life expectancy, is ageing, leading to a likely fall in the working population in the 25 states from 303 million to 297 million by 2020. A smaller labour force means less economic growth: economic migration is therefore necessary for sustained economic growth. It must also be noted that, increasingly, there is competition from other economic blocks for migrant labour.
Sectoral labour shortages
In recent years there have been consistent reports of labour shortages in particular sectors, notably IT, health services and construction. This raises the question of whether there should be a horizontal approach (common rules for all entry) or a sectoral or fast-track approach allowing short-term or quick entry for workers to cope with such shortages.
Illegal immigration
A long-term policy is required to allow economic migration to take place legally: currently, in many EU countries labour shortages are filled by illegal immigrants. To enhance the exchange of information on illegal immigration patterns, the Commission is setting up a computer network named ICONET, which will transmit early warning messages relating to illegal immigration.
National v EU rules
The right of each member state to regulate their own level of immigration continues to be recognised by the EU. In the Green Paper the Commission accepts this but states the need for a harmonised set of procedures and criteria for admission which would still leave member states discretion on the number of migrants to admit.
Green card/work and residence permits
The Green Paper seeks to open a wide discussion on the scope of entry permission which should be granted at EU level. The possibility is raised of the introduction of a US-style 'green card' which would give an individual the right to work throughout the EU. But on what basis would such a card be issued: immediately on fulfillment of certain criteria or only on the renewal of an existing long-term permission? And how would such a card interact with member state residence and work permits? Or, should there be no EU level permission, leaving member states to issue their own permits?
Admission procedures
The Green Paper raises the question of whether there should be a 'community preference rule', i.e. a third-country national will only be admitted if there is no national resident who could fill the position. Allied to this is the question of whether admission would only be allowed for a specific job or whether there could be a system of more flexible 'green cards' allowing admission for a type of employment or admission for those who fulfil certain skills criteria (education, language skills, years work experience etc.).
Rights and Integration
An individual admitted into the EU to work must have a secure legal status, guaranteeing certain economic and social rights. The question raised is whether different rights should be granted according to length of stay. A concomitant of this is the question of how migrants should be helped to integrate into their new communities (language and social training schemes). Also to be considered is the question of the return of temporary workers to their countries of origin and the obligations, if any, of the home/host countries in this respect.
In September 2005, the Commission published a communication setting out a common agenda for integration.
