On 10 October 2022, the European Commission launched a new online job search tool, the EU Talent Pool pilot initiative, to help those fleeing Russia's invasion of Ukraine with securing employment in the European Union. After registering, jobseekers (those granted temporary protection under the EU Temporary Protection Directive) can upload their CVs to the online platform and highlight their relevant skills. Their profiles are available to employers, national public employment services and private employment agencies across the EU, and the jobseekers themselves are able to browse available vacancies. The Talent Pool Pilot is connected to the existing EURES-database. On 16 February 2023, the Commission called for views and input to further develop and fine-tune this initiative. Feedback was provided through this link until 16 March 2023.  

Only a few Member States participated in the pilot project. Belgium decided not to participate but is willing to engage with policy-makers regarding an EU-wide Talent Pool proper. With this in mind, the EMN Belgium and the Immigration Office organised a stakeholders meeting on Monday 13 March to exchange views on the future EU Talent Pool. The discussion was centered around the question of the added value of an EU Talent Pool, the technical requirements this database should have and possible accompanying measures that would bring added value to the database.

EMN Belgium would like to thank the participants and looks forward to learning more about the future developments of the database.