By Geoff Maslen. The European parliament in 2008 backed the adoption of a ‘Blue Card’ as an EU-wide work permit that would attract high-skilled non-EU citizens to work and live in any country within the European Union (EU), apart from Britain and Ireland. The Blue Card was coined by the Brussels-based think-tank Bruegel and inspired by the US Green Card, with a reference to the blue European flag with 12 golden stars. The EU parliament recommended safeguards to limit the brain drain from developing countries and advocated greater flexibility for its member states. But these suggestions were largely ignored and the legislation was subsequently passed in May 2009. In addition to condemnation from some non-European countries, notably countries in Africa where there were fears that more postgraduates would depart, not all 27 EU countries have implemented the Blue Card programme, which was supposed to be adopted before June 2011. Spain and Belgium initially refused to enact the law or give the rights promised to skilled migrants, while last year the European Commission warned Austria, Cyprus and Greece they faced consequences if they did not bring their laws into line with the EU legislation. Read more...