As immigrant myself to the United States from India, I doubt many people would use the Blue Card to move into Europe. Friend of mine who initially moved to Europe decided to move to United States primarily because of taxes and work environment.

Mohan Nair, Dallas TX, USA

Not going to workl. With so many pre-conditions no one will simply go here. Especially the one about the salary that is least three times the level of the national minimum wage in the country is an absolute joke. They simply do not understand that the shortage of high tech. professional is due to the fact that these jobs require a lot but not that greatly paid.

I'm an immigrants myself working in Ireland at the moment. With a minimum wage of 8.6 euro/hour one have to be making 4500 per month to fulfill the salary criteria. Very few of people I know make this kind of mony working in eithr IT or engeniering.

EU wants to do the right thing but, as always, not to screw up at the same time. This leads to these stupid creation which is not even close to what the American Green Card really is. Wellcome to the burocratic hell called Europe.

rex, Gaulway, Ireland

The "blue card"...another stupid beaurocratic idea from the fools in Brussels/Strasbourg (or whichever town it this week). It will cost many millions of Euro, i.e. tax payers money & for what? All they do is dream up more ways of adding more burden to tax payers with out real benefit.
Quite rightly pointed out already By Jon that the larger % go to countries where the benefits are real, house prices low & a truly open job market....which is not so in EU. Ask any young French person how "free" their job market is...same with the Polish....thats why they all went to the UK, where you don't need relatives in the company in order to get a job!

Mike, Warsaw, Poland

We do not have a shortage of expertise in engineering and computer technology as often stated in the media. However, we do have a skills shortage in top management. The management of UK PLC often make up 'skills shortage' stories to give themselves an excuse for bringing in desperate foreign workers and outsourcing to overseas offices. The management of UK PLC have consistently failed to provide enough apprenticeships, high quality initial training for graduates and ongoing training and career development for existing mature staff. In terms of planning for the long term and investing in structured training for young people UK PLC directors have proved themselves incompetent.

Kevin Herbert, Greater Manchester, UK

Engineering and science degree programmes no longer appeal to school leavers, and the same for many traditional degree courses. Most school leavers prefer vocational ones as in arts and social sciecne as these courses demand lesser math and science. The perception is arts and social sciences degree programme are easier.

Engineers and scientists have always been a shortage in many developed countries and will always be the case.

Jimmy Yang, Cardiff, UK

these comments implys
world=USA, EUROPE, australia, nz, and rest of other THIRD WORLD.

kanzo, kyoto , japan

The new intended Blue Card would open fantastic opportunities for asian and african immigrants.For EU countries the issue would be different .
The immigrants in the second case would differentiate the merits of each and finally choose. I believe that the blue card should have enough compensation to lure the EU citizens.

Tayseer Abu Qurs, Kuwait, Kuwait

this sounds like a great idea. For years now the US is an easier place to emigrate to than western Europe and hence more people go to the US - though many would prefer Europe as it is clearer a better place to live. The skills shortage is a long term issue and its good to start tackling it in now. To avoid a third world brain drain, perhaps the EU should begin to recolonise Africa and set up factories there utilising cheap labour and less intelligent people.

brian buckethead, lyme regis, england

Sometimes it seems as if the EU is obsessed with matching the USA but only in the superficial. The EU can have its blue card and no doubt a small army of blue card bureaucrats. But it is hard to see it rivaling the US in competitive industry or boots on the ground military conflict.

Geoffrey, Sydney,

So there is an imbalance of 'skilled' immigrant workers' destinations between the EU and the US?

As one of the 'skilled' workers who emigrated from the EU to the US, I can tell you that it wasn't the number of regulations that persuaded me to leave.

The US has less of a history of bloody-minded, insecure management than does Britain. Mobility in the US (yes, albeit by car) is expected, not punished and the US government has - so far - not decided to punish me for working by taxing every pleasure.

Given all that, even if the Blue Card works - how are you going to persuade employers in the EU that a highly skilled and valuable potential employee living outside of the EU is not marooned on the far side of the moon - as that appears to be their belief now.

John A Blackle, Austin, TX, USA

I donot think blue card helps EU to be come a competitor
to us or even canda. As I understand from the article, Europe is already targeting poor and hungry workers(probabley in south east asia). checking how much the mimimum wage
is there is a turn off . In us and canada one get paid based on their skills.not for how less they want to work. for this option there is something called "outsourcing".
in addition, in spite of all extrmisim going on in us policy, it is
still much more tolerant society than any other country in western euorpoe.

Al, To, canada

Why can't they spend the money on training our own young people here in the UK, to be 'highly skilled"? Surely that alone would plug any gap? Not that I'm against anyone coming here, at all, but I just feel that our own young people are becoming more and more disaffected and let down by the lack of support given in their own country.

claire , Glasgow, Scotland

You are assuming that young and skilled workers want to live in the UK and Europe,where taxes are high, houses prices are 2-3 times what they should be, weather is poor and employee benefts are minimal! compare that to Australia, where workers are guaraneed holidays,TRULY free health care(not the nhs/uk version of paying a seperate tax and calling it free),cheap cost of living and houses,fantastic weather and lifestyle, and best of all, we dont need 26 other countries to decide what is best for us.
EU is a beaurocratic joke and nothing ever happens expect the population continue to pay high taxes for no return.

luke, perth, australia

I agree with Nir from Jerusalem. That is the reason there is illegal immigration. Third World countries need help in keeping their own people in their native country to be successful. In addition, government leaders in Third World countries need to be honest and help their own people instead of them living in wealth, security and power while their own people are struggling to survive. It is a vicious cycle that can be broken but it is not because leaders do not see it beneficial that each country is successful in their own right.

Middletown, New York

marlene , Middletown, USA

The story says that "55 per cent of skilled labour goes to the US and just 5 per cent to the EU."

Does anyone seriously suppose that introducing a Blue Card is going to change that?

Skilled workers who go to the US go there because of the availability of well-paid jobs in high-tech industries with minimal regulation.

What does Europe have to match that? "Free" health-care is not much of an incentive for young healthy workers.

jon livesey, Sunnyvale, CA/US

And then you are surprised that the third world remains poor... you take all the brain power away so you'll have another 0.001 percent GDP grotwh in Europe while other countries are collapsing... This is very wrong from a moral point of view...

nir, jerusalem,