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Talent pool tailored to suit European employers and employees from outside the EU
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Special admission program for low- and medium-skilled workers and entrepreneurs
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Facilitate the intra-EU mobility of non-EU long-term residents and cut red tape
MEPs adopted a legislative initiative report on legal labor migration on Thursday. 497 deputies voted forthat, against 160 and 38 abstained. In it, they support the building of an EU talent pool to match non-EU candidates with potential EU employers to alleviate labor shortages in Member States and build on the existing Eures portal.
Parliament calls for an ambitious adoption program for low- and medium-skilled workers from third countries. Also about a framework for recognizing their skills and qualifications. Legal migration of entrepreneurs to the EU should be facilitated by an EU-wide admission and residence system for those wishing to set up companies and start-ups and for highly mobile workers such as artists and cultural professionals. MEPs want the Commission to create a five-year multiple-entry visa, allowing visits of up to 90 days a year.
Revision of existing EU legal migration rules
MEPs are asking for a review of the rules applicable to third-country nationals who are long-term residents. The idea is to allow them to move to another Member State from the date of the permit, under conditions similar to those already applicable to EU citizens. The number of years required to obtain a long-term resident's EU residence permit should be reduced from five to three.
The report approved today also calls for the simplification of existing application procedures, including visas regulations regarding single permits . This would allow applications to be submitted both from a Member State - if the applicant has a valid residence permit - and from a third country.
In addition, MEPs propose to amend the current rules on seasonal workers, allowing them to be unemployed for up to three months - to look for a new job - without withdrawing their existing permit.
Europe is facing demographic and economic challenges
After the vote, the rapporteur Abir Al-Sahlani said: "Europe is facing demographic and economic challenges. To meet these challenges and to ensure that Europe can be strong and competitive, we need labor migration. This is a fact. We need to make the arrival of labor migrants to Europe more attractive and put the system in order to make sure that the rules are followed. '
As laid down in the EP's Rules of Procedure, the Commission has until 31 January 2022 to present proposals to facilitate and promote the entry and mobility of legally migrant third-country workers within the EU.
Source: European Parliament
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