EU:The Government has decided not to "opt in" to a flagship EU-wide migration initiative called the Blue Card, which aims to attract highly skilled immigrants into the union.
But it has not ruled out applying to join the proposed scheme in the future pending talks with Britain about how it could affect the common travel area between both countries.
The decision means that Ireland has decided not to implement at least 53 different EU measures in the field of immigration and asylum. Some 28 of the measures relate to the EU free travel area Schengen, while the remaining 25 are in the field of immigration. Under the Treaty of Amsterdam, Ireland must tell the European Commission within three months of a new policy presented in these areas whether it intends to "opt in" to help draft the law at the council of ministers.
If it fails to notify the EU executive of its intentions then the Government loses the ability to help draft the legislation at council, although it can adopt the final law after all other EU states have implemented it.
The Blue Card proposal is modelled on the US Green Card, which aims to attract skilled migrants to work in the US. It is aimed at addressing the EU economy's need to attract at least 20 million skilled workers over the next two decades. The Blue Card would offer migrant workers and their families two years' residency in an EU state where they are offered a job. They would also be able to move freely across the union and take up job offers in other member states - a right that does not exist under the equivalent Irish Green Card scheme launched by Minister for Enterprise Micheál Martin.
The proposal has the strong backing of the commission, although several member states, such as Austria, have expressed concerns the Blue Card would encourage immigration.
The Blue Card is scheduled to be discussed by EU justice ministers at an informal meeting of justice ministers today in Slovenia.
Minister for Justice Brian Lenihan will be at the meeting, which will also discuss the introduction of an EU system to collect passenger name records (PNR) from passengers travelling into the Union from abroad.
But the Government said last night it had not "opted in" to the Blue Card proposal yet. "Ireland's position in relation to the Blue Card is still under consideration and accordingly it is too early to give a definitive position," said a Government statement, which emphasised that states should be able to tailor their migration systems to their needs.
The Department of Justice is concerned that "opting in" to the Blue Card could affect the operation of the common travel area between Ireland and Britain, which has also decided not to "opt in" to the proposal.
It also recently expressed concerns about measures in the Lisbon Treaty that remove states' national vetoes over justice legislation - a position that caused the Government to seek specific "opt outs" over this area in the new treaty. Fine Gael has strongly criticised the "opt outs" negotiated by the Government.