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FM USEU BRUSSELS
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BRUSSELS 003315 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: CVIS PREL PREF SMIG KCRM EUN
SUBJECT: NINE COUNTRIES TO JOIN SCHENGEN AREA ON DECEMBER 21 
 
REF: USEU BRUSSELS 2950 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1.  EU ministers in the November 8 Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) 
Council confirmed the abolition on December 21 of checks at internal 
land and sea borders with nine Member States that joined the EU in 
¶2004.  The ministers adopted the political decision after accepting 
an assessment that all nine "Schengen" candidates were ready to 
implement strict controls at their external borders.  The Council 
also had an initial exchange of views that revealed fairly 
widespread concerns about a Commission plan to ease the admission of 
highly skilled migrants by creating a single permit (a so-called EU 
"Blue Card") for non-EU nationals to reside and work in the EU. 
Judicial cooperation issues discussed at the Council will be 
reported SEPTEL.  Full text of Council conclusions has been 
transmitted to EUR/ERA.  END SUMMARY. 
 
ENLARGEMENT OF SCHENGEN AREA 
---------------------------- 
 
¶2.  EU delegations in the November 8 JHA Council confirmed plans to 
abolish checks at internal borders with nine of the Member States 
that joined the EU in 2004 (Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, 
Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia). 
Portuguese Presidency officials said the lifting at land and sea 
borders would occur at 00:01 on December 21.  The decision to 
enlarge the "Schengen" area was depicted in EU circles as an early 
Christmas present for citizens of the "new" Member States.  The 
lifting of air borders will occur by the end of March 2008. 
 
¶3.  Speaking at a joint press conference with Commission 
Vice-President Frattini, Portuguese Interior minister/Council chair 
Rui Pereira promised "very meaningful celebrations" on December 21 
at selected border points, "showing how vibrant the European Union 
is." German Interior Minister Scha|ble said it was "of great 
importance to the new Member States that the Iron Curtain is gone 
and that controls are abolished." 
 
¶4.  The decision follows on a long-standing EU commitment to the 
nine countries that their citizens are allowed to take up full 
rights of free movement across the EU without showing identity 
documents at the borders.  A first requirement for the removal of 
border checks was met in September 2007 when the countries plugged 
into the Schengen Information System (SIS), an electronic database 
allowing the authorities of countries participating in the area to 
swap information on wanted people, objects or vehicles (REFTEL).  As 
Rui Pereira and Frattini duly emphasized to media, Portugal played a 
key role ahead of taking up the Presidency in promoting the 
so-called "SISone4all" project - aimed at extending the current "SIS 
I" to include the new members into the system -- and producing the 
necessary software to the effect.  Frattini also praised Slovenia 
for its "extraordinary effort in leading the group of its (Central 
and European) counterparts" into the project. 
 
¶5.  Preparations have been under way for the "new" Member States to 
reassure current Schengen members that their customs and border 
checks with non-EU countries are in line with EU standards.  The 
basic decision on extending the area followed on a detailed 
assessment, carried out by experts from the "old" Member States and 
Commission officials over the past two years.  The latest evaluation 
visits took place over the past six months.  They "demonstrated that 
the Member States concerned are sufficiently prepared to apply the 
Schengen acquis in a satisfactory manner," according to the Council 
Secretariat. 
 
SIPDIS 
 
¶6.  The Council consequently adopted conclusions, according to which 
"the necessary conditions have been met in all areas" (air, land and 
sea borders, police cooperation, the SIS, data protection and visa 
issuance) in the Member States concerned.  The formal Decision to 
lift the internal borders controls will be taken in December, once 
the European Parliament has cleared the evaluation reports, which is 
expected to be a formality. 
 
¶7.  Current Schengen countries are EU members Austria, Belgium, 
Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Greece, Luxembourg, the 
Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden and non-EU members Iceland 
and Norway.  Switzerland is set to join Schengen next year.  Cyprus, 
the 10th country that joined the EU in 2004, opted to keep some 
border checks and will stay out of the area, along with other island 
countries UK and Ireland. 
 
EU "BLUE CARD" FOR SKILLED WORKERS 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶8.  Ministers heard a presentation by Vice-President Frattini on the 
recently adopted Commission proposal for an EU work permit - dubbed 
the EU "Blue Card" - designed to attract, and where necessary to 
retain, high-skilled workers into the EU labor market.  The plan 
 
BRUSSELS 00003315  002 OF 002 
 
 
calls for a single visa application program, offering highly 
qualified job seekers a simpler way to gain access to the EU job 
market and doing away with the various national procedures.  Those 
who get the "Blue Card" would have the right to social and other 
employment benefits enjoyed by EU citizens and would, after an 
initial two-year freeze, be able to move to another EU country 
provided they find another job there. 
 
¶9.  Frattini told ministers an EU-wide system was needed to ensure 
the continent is able to compete with its economic competitors like 
the U.S., Canada or Australia.  "We cannot do without setting common 
standards here," he said, while assuring ministers the Commission 
was not aiming to dictate to Member States how many and which 
immigrants they should let in: "We shall not be interfering with the 
responsibility of each Member State to determine how many workers 
are available in each country."  The Commission also proposed to 
give a clear set of rights to all non-EU nationals who legally 
reside in the EU. 
 
¶10.  Although Frattini told a press conference the package received 
"broad and strong support from all ministers," a public debate that 
followed his presentation to the Council revealed a more nuanced 
picture of Member State positions.  Dutch Deputy Justice Minister 
Nebahat Albayrak was "not sure" the plan would provide added value: 
"We have to ensure such procedures are rapid and flexible with 
unnecessary red tape."  German Interior Minister Wolfgang Scha|ble 
restated that "The whole question of legal migration should remain 
the purview of Member States because they are responsible for their 
own employment markets."  Finland, Greece and Cyprus expressed 
worries the plan could further strain national pension schemes. 
Some ministers also cautioned the proposals could attract new waves 
of migrants who would use the scheme to gain permanent access to the 
EU.  Austrian Interior Minster G|nther Platter said Member States 
"should exercise due caution" to ensure they "do not produce 
unwanted new migratory flows." 
 
¶11.  Ministers agreed to return to these proposals in the context of 
a joint meeting with their colleagues responsible for Employment and 
Social Affairs on December 6. 
 
MURRAY