(BRUSSELS) - EU interior ministers endorsed Thursday sweeping new guidelines for managing immigration, and closed in on agreement on a Blue Card scheme aimed at attracting highly skilled workers to Europe.

In talks in Brussels, the ministers signed off on the European Pact on Immigration and Asylum, which has been criticised by some African and Latin American nations, paving the way for EU leaders to rubber stamp it next month.

The pact -- a document of political intent but not binding laws -- sets out principles for managing migration, fighting illegal immigration and forming partnerships with countries that people leave or travel through to get to Europe.

It also seeks to make border controls more effective while building better asylum policy.

"This pact is a great step forward. It's a political pact, but does not impose rules. This pact has the great virtue of allowing countries some leeway" in the way they apply it, said Spanish Immigration Minister Celestino Corbacho.

The agreement paves the way for legal immigration to be based on a state's needs and ability to welcome people, while combating illegal immigration and ensuring that foreigners who do not have papers are removed.

EU nations would base legal immigration on workers or professionals whose skills are tailored to their particular labour needs, favouring those who would stay in their countries long term.

The ministers also agreed to try to avoid handing out residency permits en masse. Italy and Spain have angered some of their partners by giving papers to some 700,000 people in recent years.

Refugees would be increasingly obliged to apply for asylum from outside -- some 220,000 people did so last year -- although the European Union would strive to better channel aid to those countries they are fleeing.

"Getting a clear statement against mass regularisations is a very important line in the sand," said Britain's immigration minister Liam Byrne.

"The trick now is to turn ideas into action," he added, saying he would head to Paris next week to talk about ways to rapidly implement parts of the pact, particularly on joint returns of illegal immigrants.

Malta, which is on Europe's maritime frontline when it comes to illegal immigration, said the pact helped address the "disproportionate pressures" that countries like it are facing.

On the Blue Card scheme, the ministers struggled to define the notion of "highly skilled" workers but eventually agreed that applicants would have to be earning 1.5 times the average salary in the state in which they hoped to work.

"We have arrived at agreement on 1.5 times the average salary, with derogations for a certain number of job categories which could see this lowered to 1.2 times," said French Immigration Minister Brice Hortefeux, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency.

Recognised qualifications or five years' experience would also be needed.

But the Czech Republic held up a deal until its own workers were given access to all EU member states -- the barriers to them in Germany and Austria are set to come down in 2011.

France hopes to overcome this obstacle by the end of the year.

With their population growth in decline, EU member states are looking to foreign labour to fill certain jobs. But are struggling to compete with the United States, which attracts roughly twice the number of skilled workers.

The Blue Card takes its name from the EU flag, blue with golden stars and aspires, like the US "green card", to entice highly qualified third-country nationals with access to certain rights in any EU nation.

But the idea has been vastly watered down from when it was proposed by the European Commission a year ago, and will not allow recipients to move around as freely as first envisaged.

Justice and Home Affairs Council

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