The conference brought together high-level policymakers and technical experts involved in the design and implementation of regular migration pathways.

Ylva Johansson, European Commissioner for Home Affairs opened the conference. In her speech, she underlined that migrants bring the talent that the EU needs and that talent partnerships are win-win projects as they benefit EU countries (where businesses need skilled staff) as well as non-EU countries (whose workers can gain competence and experience abroad). In this regard, she stressed the importance of the Skills and Talent Mobility Package that was presented on 15 November 2023.

The Conference also focused on the perspectives of key partner countries, with contributions from high representatives from Morocco, Honduras, Bangladesh, Spain, Pakistan, Tunisia, and Egypt. Most origin countries emphasize that they have a large workforce and that talent partnerships are a step in the right direction. However, they insist that the programs be large-scale and that they benefit all three parties: the countries of destination, the countries of origin and the migrant workers themselves whose rights must be protected. They also share concerns and challenges regarding connecting labour needs and skills, administrative simplification, accreditation of qualifications and skills, risk of brain drain etc.

Recent initiatives and progress made regarding complementary pathways linked to work for people in need of international protection were also discussed. Participants agreed on the importance of regular pathways. They stressed inter alia that the most vulnerable people, those who have the least education and (formal) skills, are the least likely to be able to take advantage of these pathways. Hence the importance of creating opportunities and reaching out to vulnerable migrants and refugees where they are.

On the second day, the conference took a more technical approach, recognizing the technical work that needs to be done to progress in this area. The challenges and successes of the main initiatives developed under the Skills and Talent Package, inter alia the EU Talent Pool, Talent Partnerships, and recognition of qualifications were examined. Challenges include inter alia providing information and clarity to third-country nationals regarding entry to the EU, developing a proper matching tool for third-country nationals to really find employers, ensuring interoperability between the EU system/talent pool and those already existing in the EU Member States, training and upskilling people in the partner countries, etc.

The conference finally zoomed in on three particular sectors facing labour shortages at the EU level: transport, construction, and long-term care. This session, moderated by a colleague from EMN Belgium, Christophe Van Hemelryck, showed inter alia that these sectors face massive shortages of qualified and motivated workforce and that the demand will continue to grow. Most employers see migration as an opportunity in this regard. However, they face challenges in attracting talent because of the current complexity and duration of the process, the lack of adequacy between training in countries of origin and EU requirements, the lack of harmonization within the EU (in terms of skills recognition for example), etc.

The conference provided a valuable platform for dialogue and exchange of ideas on the future of EU legal migration. It highlighted the importance of collaboration and partnership in addressing the challenges and opportunities of labour migration.

For further details, please find all working documents and videos of the conference on this page.