Frattini touts migrant quota scheme

The European Commission is to ask member states to take a stake in an EU-wide quota for workers coming from countries that are a source of large numbers of illegal immigrants.

The Commission will today (16 May) unveil plans to allow skilled workers to come to Europe for a limited period before returning to their home country. The Commission hopes this "circular migration" will help the EU get agreements from countries in Africa and eastern Europe to take back illegal immigrants and to strengthen their borders.

But the success of the scheme relies on member states agreeing to take the workers in. "We need the member states to make that offer," said a Commission official.

In one scenario envisaged by the proposal, the Commission would pool offers by member states to take in workers "in order to put together a consolidated EU offer to the third country in question". Controversially these offers "could for example take the form of labour quotas" for nationals of certain countries "to help match job offers in the member state in question with job-seekers in the third country concerned".

The Commission official said that Germany, which had initially been reluctant to get involved in the scheme was now on board. But the UK is expected to opt out of the scheme because of a points-based system it has recently introduced for labour migrants, diplomats said. Although France and Spain have agreed to take in workers as part of a pilot project which will begin in Mali this year, other member states are thought to be reluctant to sign over to the Commission responsibility for controlling their workforces.

But Franco Frattini, European commissioner for justice, freedom and security, will appeal to member states to join the scheme for the sake of controlling illegal immigration in Europe.

The scheme will involve identifying workers who wish to travel to Europe, assessing their skills and giving them extra training or language lessons before they travel. Following on from the Mali project, similar schemes are to be opened in 12 other west African states, the Commission official said. Other countries which could also join the scheme are Morocco and Ukraine. The rules would ensure that workers return to their country after a certain period by paying them part of their salary when they leave Europe and by setting up an entry-exit monitoring system, the official added.

• The Commission will also publish a strategy today on how to tackle illegal immigration from countries to the east. An emphasis on inflows from Africa last year has prompted countries such as Germany, Slovakia and the Czech Republic to insist on efforts to curb inflows from eastern Europe and central Asia. "If you look at the numbers, illegal flows from the east are more important," said a Commission official.

The plan involves using the border agency Frontex and Europol to help fight human trafficking, particularly through the Black Sea region, reducing remittance costs for immigrants working in Europe, increasing security along the borders and making it easier for business travellers, students and tourists to enter the EU.

The European Commission is to ask member states to take a stake in an EU-wide quota for workers coming from countries that are a source of large numbers of illegal immigrants.