Common Immigration Policy of the EUThe Blue Card Policy DocumentThe European Union represents the economic and political partnership of 28 states, with a population of over of 500 million people who can travel within its territory regardless of internal borders. It functions as a single market with standardized laws and guaranteed freedom of movement of people, goods, services and capital. As such, the European Union is an attractive destination for all types of immigrants, from people seeking a better life from unhappy and unstable regions to highly skilled labor seeking better business opportunities. As European Commission President José Manuel Barroso said in an interview with Time Magazine (October 24, 2007): “Europe is a continent of immigration, we are attractive to many. But we are unable to attract highly qualified people. We are also not young enough or numerous enough to turn the wheels of our societies and economies on our own. High mobility and migration is a global phenomenon, which is not exclusive to the EU and which also brings many opportunities to Member States as well as great challenges. Therefore, the management of immigration represents a priority of the highest importance for the EU institutions, channeled through a coordinated and balanced common immigration policy. However, the common immigration policy for Europe still needs to be implemented in collaboration with EU member states and its institutions. Until it was fully formulated, it was communicated through ten common principles based on three main axes of European Union policy, namely prosperity, solidarity and security (Summaries of EU legislation EU, nd). Each of these ten principles plays an important role in achieving a coordinated approach to immigration challenges. Prospe...... middle of paper ....../meldung/BA-Chef-Weise- Nur-7000-Zuwanderer-mit-Blue -Card-2073163.htmlCendrowicz L. (October 24, 2007) A Green Light for Europe's Blue Card, retrieved January 31, 2014 from TIME MAGAZINE, http://content.time.com/time /world/article/0,8599,1674962,00.htmlOECD (2012) Economic Studies on the European Union, accessed 30 January 2014 at http://www.keepeek.com/Digital-Asset-Management/oecd/economys /oecd-enomic-surveys-european -union-2012_eco_surveys-eur-2012-en#page27European Commission (nd) Immigration, accessed January 31, 2014 at http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs/what- we-do/policies/immigration /index_en.htmSummaries of EU legislation (nd) Entry and residence of highly qualified workers (EU Blue Card), accessed January 30, 2014 at http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/ internal_market/living_and_working_in_the_internal_market/l14573_en.htm