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1. EU Blue Card holders shall have access to highly qualified employment in the Member State concerned under the conditions provided for in this Article.

2. During the first 12 months of legal employment of the person concerned as an EU Blue Card holder, a Member State may:

(a) require that a change of employer or a change which may affect the fulfilment of the criteria for admission as set out in Article 5 be communicated to the competent authorities in that Member State, in accordance with procedures laid down in national law; and (b) subject any change of employer to a check of the labour market situation, provided that that Member State carries out such a check in accordance with Article 7(2), point (a). The right of the EU Blue Card holder to change employment may be suspended for a maximum of 30 days while the Member State concerned checks that the conditions for admission laid down in Article 5 are fulfilled and that the vacancy concerned could not be filled by the persons listed in Article 7(2), point (a). The Member State concerned may oppose the change of employment within those 30 days.

3. After the expiry of the 12-month period referred to in paragraph 2, Member States may require only that a change of employer or a change affecting the fulfilment of the criteria for admission as set out in Article 5 be communicated in accordance with procedures laid down by national law. Such a requirement shall not suspend the right of the EU Blue Card holder to take up and carry out the new employment.

4. During a period of unemployment, the EU Blue Card holder shall be allowed to seek and take up employment in accordance with this Article. The EU Blue Card holder shall communicate the beginning and, where appropriate, the end of the period of unemployment to the competent authorities of the Member State of residence in accordance with the relevant national procedures.

5. Without prejudice to the criteria for admission set out in Article 5, Member States may allow EU Blue Card holders to engage in self-employed activity in parallel to the activity in highly qualified employment in accordance with conditions laid down in national law. This shall not affect the competence of the Member States for limiting the scope of the allowed self-employed activity. Any such self-employed activity shall be subsidiary to the main activity of the person concerned as an EU Blue Card holder.

6. Where Member States issue national residence permits for the purpose of highly qualified employment, they shall guarantee EU Blue Card holders access to self-employed activities under no less favourable conditions than those provided for under the relevant national scheme.

7. Without prejudice to the criteria for admission set out in Article 5, Member States may allow EU Blue Card holders to engage in professional activities other than their main activity as an EU Blue Card holder in accordance with conditions laid down in national law.

8. By way of derogation from paragraph 1, a Member State may retain restrictions on access to employment in accordance with existing national or Union law, provided that such employment activities entail at least occasional involvement in the exercise of public authority and the responsibility for safeguarding the general interest of the State or that such employment activities are reserved to nationals of that Member State, Union citizens or EEA citizens.

9. This Article is without prejudice to the principle of preference for Union citizens where applicable under the relevant Acts of Accession.