REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS on EURES activity January 2016 - June 2018 Submitted pursuant to Article 33 of Regulation (EU) 2016/589
Date: 2019-04-02
Institutions: Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission
Subjects: EURES, administrative cooperation, employment service, exchange of information, free movement of workers, frontier worker, job access, job vacancy, labour mobility

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 2.4.2019  COM(2019) 164 final  REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS on EURES activity January 2016 - June 2018      Submitted pursuant to Article 33 of Regulation (EU) 2016/589  
 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................. 3 

1. 

INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 4 

1.1.  What is EURES? ............................................................................................... 4 

1.1.1.  EURES services to jobseekers and employers .................................... 5 

1.1.2.  Two  pillars:  the  EURES  Job  Mobility  Portal  and  the  human 

network ................................................................................................ 5 

1.1.3.  The organisation of the EURES network ............................................ 6 

1.2.  The 2016 Regulation ......................................................................................... 6 

1.2.1.  Why a reform of the Regulation? ........................................................ 6 

1.2.2.  Main elements and timeline of the reform........................................... 6 

2.  MAIN  ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  EURES  NETWORK:  JANUARY  2016  - 

JUNE 2018 .................................................................................................................. 7 

2.1.  Activities in EURES member countries ............................................................ 7 

2.1.1.  General support services for workers and employers .......................... 7 

2.1.2.  Specific support services ..................................................................... 8 

2.1.3.  Resources and governance................................................................. 11 

2.2.  Horizontal  support  activities  from  the  European  Coordination  Office 

(ECO) .............................................................................................................. 13 

2.2.1.  Coordination and governance support ............................................... 13 

2.2.2.  Operation and development of the EURES Portal and related 

IT services.......................................................................................... 13 

2.2.3.  Training and professional development ............................................ 14 

2.2.4.  Helpdesk ............................................................................................ 14 

2.2.5.  Networking, exchange of best practice and mutual learning ............ 14 

2.2.6. 

Information and communication activities ........................................ 15 

2.2.7.  Analysis of geographic and occupational mobility ........................... 15 

2.2.8.  Development  of  an  appropriate  cooperation  and  clearance 

structure for apprenticeships and traineeships ................................... 16 

2.2.9.  Financial resources ............................................................................ 16 

3. 

IMPLEMENTATION  OF  THE  REGULATION  IN  THE  MEMBER 
STATES .................................................................................................................... 17 

3.1.  Composition of the network and organisational matters ................................. 17 

3.1.1.  Regulation requirements .................................................................... 17 

 
 
 
 
      
 
3.1.2. 

Implementation .................................................................................. 17 

3.1.3.  Challenges ......................................................................................... 18 

3.2.  Governance  and  interaction  with  organisations  outside  the  EURES 

network ............................................................................................................ 18 

3.2.1.  Regulation requirements .................................................................... 18 

3.2.2. 

Implementation .................................................................................. 18 

3.2.3.  Challenges ......................................................................................... 19 

3.3.  Broadening the network .................................................................................. 19 

3.3.1.  Regulation requirements .................................................................... 19 

3.3.2. 

Implementation .................................................................................. 19 

3.3.3.  Challenges ......................................................................................... 20 

3.4.  Job vacancies and CV exchanges .................................................................... 20 

3.4.1.  Regulation requirements .................................................................... 20 

3.4.2. 

Implementation .................................................................................. 20 

3.4.3.  Challenges ......................................................................................... 20 

3.5.  Support services ............................................................................................... 21 

3.5.1.  Regulation requirements .................................................................... 21 

3.5.2. 

Implementation .................................................................................. 21 

3.5.3.  Challenges ......................................................................................... 22 

3.6. 

Information exchange, programming and performance measurement ............ 22 

3.6.1.  Regulation requirements .................................................................... 22 

3.6.2. 

Implementation .................................................................................. 22 

3.6.3.  Challenges ......................................................................................... 23 

4. 

IMPLEMENTATION  OF  THE  REGULATION  BY  THE  EUROPEAN 
COMMISSION ......................................................................................................... 23 

4.1.1.  Regulation requirements .................................................................... 23 

4.1.2. 

Implementation .................................................................................. 24 

4.1.3.  Challenges ......................................................................................... 24 

5.  CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS .................................................... 24 

5.1.  Conclusions ..................................................................................................... 24 

5.2.  Recommendations for Member States for the next reporting period .............. 25 

5.3.  Actions to be taken forward by the European Commission ............................ 26 

ANNEX – RELEVANT FIGURES ................................................................................ 28 

2 

 
 
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 
This Activity Report provides an overview of the activities carried out by the EURES 
network between January 2016 and June 2018 as well as a description of the state 
of play of the application of the EURES Regulation (EU) 2016/589 by July 2018 as 
provided  for  in  Article  33  of  this  Regulation.  The  EURES  network  consists  of 
employment  service  providers  and  other  partner  organisations  across  EU  and  EEA 
Member States and Switzerland aiming at strengthening their intra-labour mobility and 
achieving an integrated European labour market.  
The main features of the EURES network are twofold. Thousands of jobseekers and 
employers across Europe benefit from the placement and matching services through 
the  EURES  network  every  day.  Trained  EURES  staff  offer  support  services  and 
guidance  on  working  conditions  in  other  European  countries  in  order  to  facilitate 
jobseekers’ and employers’ choices.  
EURES  activities  overseen  by  the  National  Coordination  Offices  (NCOs)  include 
targeted  mobility  schemes  (TMS),  with  the  aim  to  address  specific  labour  surpluses 
and shortages. EURES also assists frontier workers and employers under the umbrella 
of cross-border partnerships and other activities in cross-border regions. 
At  the  regulatory  level,  the  implementation  of  the  EURES  Regulation,  which 
entered  into  force  in  2016,  has  been  completed  in  most  areas.  The  NCOs  have  been 
nominated,  the  Public  Employment  Services  (PES)  appointed  as  Members  of  the 
national EURES networks, and admission systems for new Members and Partners have 
been  set  up.  On  the  IT  side,  the  implementation  of  the  transparent  exchange  of  job 
vacancies and CVs between national databases and EURES is a major achievement in 
facilitating  job  matches  at  the  European  level.  The  EURES  Portal,  managed  by  the 
European  Coordination  Office  (ECO),  holds  3  million  job  offers  daily  and  over 
400,000  CVs  ready  for  matching.  The  introduction  of  the  European  classification  of 
skills, qualifications and occupations (ESCO) will further contribute to a better digital 
job  matching  and  targeted  placements  across  borders.  In  addition,  the  governance  of 
the network has been reinforced through new monitoring and performance tools.  
The main challenges for the EURES network remain to complete the implementation 
of the CV and job vacancy exchange with  all Member States. The admission  of new 
Members and Partners, which will allow the broadening of the EURES network, and 
include  private  employment  actors,  has  only  just  started  at  the  end  of  the  reporting 
period.  Building  synergies  with  complementing  initiatives  such  as  EUROPASS2  and 
the Single Digital Gateway and streamlining cooperation also remain important areas 
for further development. Better integrating EURES mobility schemes and cross-border 
partnerships  within  the  general  strategy  of  the  network,  in  particular  via  more 
systematic information exchanges between EURES Members and Partners, will create 
additional network effects.  
The  way  forward  for  the  EURES  network  lies  in  the  functioning  of  EURES  as  a 
dynamic  network  with  an  increased  number  of  actors,  activities  and  services  and 
enhanced  communication,  including  on  social  media.  The  transition  to  a  new  data 
exchange  system  for  job  vacancies  and  CVs  is  well  on  its  way  to  evolve  into  a  full- 
fledged matching system and placement tool. The EURES network builds on a strong 
cooperation  between  PES,  and  other  EURES  Members  and  Partners  who  regularly 
meet  to  exchange  best  practices  at  mutual  learning  events.  The  support  provided  by 
ECO,  through  the  identification  of  synergies  and  overlaps  of  EURES  activities  with 
other  European  initiatives  and  the  guidance  and  network  facilitation,  in  particular 
through the EURES portal, are key to a further integration of the EURES network. 
In  the  medium  term,  EURES  coordination  activities  will  be  the  responsibility  of  the 

3 

 
European Labour Authority (ELA), proposed by the Commission in March 2018 and 
provisionally agreed by the European Parliament and Council in February 2019.  This 
will  be  achieved  through  a  formal  transfer  to  the  ELA  of  the  EURES  European 
Coordination  Office  (ECO).  Under  the  responsibility  of  ELA,  ECO  will  strengthen 
EURES  role  in  the  promotion  of  fair  mobility  conditions.  It  will  benefit  from  a 
comprehensive  operational  structure  dedicated  to  EU  labour  mobility  and  from 
specialised expertise in different areas which may provide ideas on further challenges 
to be addressed or innovative policy approaches and tools. In turn, ECO will contribute 
to the functioning of the Authority through its expertise, network, and tools. 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

1.1.  What is EURES? 

EURES is a cooperative network between the European Commission and Members and 
Partners, such as Public Employment Services (PES), in all the EU countries and Iceland, 
Liechtenstein,  Norway  and  Switzerland  (hereafter:  ‘EURES  member  countries’).  Since 
its launch in 1994, EURES has helped people benefit from one of the core principles of 
the European Union: the free movement of workers. EURES provides a unique range of 
information and employment services to jobseekers and employers interested in pursuing 
employment opportunities or in recruiting jobseekers throughout Europe1. 

In  2016,  the  new  EURES  Regulation  (EU)  2016/589  came  into  force  with  the  aim  of 
creating  a  bigger  and  stronger  network  of  European  employment  services,  both  public 
and private, in  order to  deliver a more efficient exchange of labour market  information 
across borders in support of job placements across the EU/EEA area2.  

1 Note: The terms ‘workers’ and ‘employees’ are used as synonyms in this report. Furthermore, “the Court 
of Justice has held that the freedom of movement of workers contained in Article 45 TFEU also entails 
certain  rights  for  nationals  of  Member  States  moving  within  the  Union  for  the  purposes  of  seeking 
employment.  The  concept  of  ‘worker’  should  therefore,  for  the  purposes  of  this  Regulation,  be 
understood  to  cover  jobseekers,  regardless  of  whether  they  are  currently  in  an  employment 
relationship.” (Regulation (EU) 2016/589, Recital 7). 

2 The objectives of the EURES Network are laid down in Article 6 of Regulation (EU) 2016/589. 

4 

 
                                                 
1.1.1.  EURES services to jobseekers and employers 

  Helping jobseekers to find jobs and employers to find candidates across Europe; 
  Matching job vacancies and CVs on the EURES Job Mobility Portal; 
 

Information,  guidance  and  other  labour  mobility  support  services  for  workers  and 
employers; 

  Post-recruitment assistance; 
  Access  to  information  on  aspects  of  living  and  working  conditions  such  as  taxation, 

 
 
 
 

pensions, health insurance and social security in EURES member countries; 
Specific support services for frontier workers and employers in cross-border regions; 
Support to specific groups in the context of EURES-related targeted mobility schemes; 
Promotion of opportunities for young people inter alia via Drop'pin@EURES; 
Support for dynamic recruitment events through the European Online Job Days (EOJD) 
platform. 

1.1.2.  Two  pillars:  the  EURES  Job  Mobility  Portal  and  the  human 

network  

EURES  forms  an  essential  part  of  the  labour  market  support  structure  that  the  EU  has 
developed  over  past  decades  to  improve  its  social  and  economic  performance.  The 
network  focuses  on  the  provision  of  information  and  guidance  for  matching  and 
placement  to  those  interested  in  working  in  other  EURES  member  countries,  and  to 
employers  who  are  interested  in  recruiting  employees  from  other  EURES  member 
countries.  It  delivers  its  services  through  two  main  complementary  channels  –  the 
EURES Portal and the EURES staff network across Europe. 

1.1.2.1.  The EURES Job Mobility Portal 

EURES  is  regularly  among  the  five  most  visited  websites  of  the  europa.eu  domain.  In 
2017  alone,  the  EURES  website  received  a  total  of  14,880,000  visits  and  48,350,000 
views. On any given day, about 3 million jobs and close to 400,000 jobseeker CVs3 are 
available on the EURES Job Mobility Portal. These numbers have steadily increased over 
the reporting period in all categories.  From June 2017 to June 2018, there has been an 
increase  in  registration  on  the  EURES  Portal  of  30%  for  employers  and  20%  for 
jobseekers. 

The EURES Portal delivers a free of charge self-service for jobseekers and employers 
who  register  to  find  a  job  or  a  candidate.  Both  employers  and  jobseekers  can  set  up 
accounts allowing them to use the search and match functions on the portal, to create and 
store search profiles, and to receive email alerts.  

1.1.2.2.  The EURES human network 

A  network  of  over  1,000  EURES  staff4  from  the  32  EURES  member  countries, 
delivers  tailored  career  and  recruitment  advice,  support  for  job  search  and  hiring,  and 
information  on  relevant  rules  such  as  social  security  and  tax  arrangements  in  other 
EURES member countries, as well as post-recruitment assistance, for instance language 

3 EURES Portal, available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eures/public/en/homepage  
4 In this report, ‘EURES staff’ means personnel directly or indirectly involved in the delivery of services 
and  other  activities  of  the  EURES  network  pursuant  to  Regulation  (EU)  2016/589  and  its 
implementing measures. 

5 

 
                                                 
courses.  

1.1.3.  The organisation of the EURES network 

Each  EURES  member  country  designates  a  National  Coordination  Office  (NCO), 
which  is  generally  linked  to  either  the  PES  or  the  Ministry  of  Labour.  The  Directorate 
General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion of the European Commission (DG 
EMPL)  hosts  the  European  Coordination  Office  (ECO),  which  provides  horizontal 
support to NCOs. Together, the NCOs and ECO constitute the European Coordination 
Group (ECG) of the EURES network.  

EURES  Members  and  Partners  are  the  organisations  performing  operational  activities 
within the EURES network. In the EURES network, Members must carry out all of the 
following tasks while Partners need to carry out at least one: 

  Contributing  to  the  pool  of  job  vacancies  by  transmitting  data  to  the  EURES 

Portal and IT platform; 

  Contributing to the pool of jobseeker profiles by transmitting data to the EURES 

Portal and IT platform; 

  Providing support services directly to jobseekers and employers.  

1.2.  The 2016 Regulation 

1.2.1.  Why a reform of the Regulation? 

Since the initial Commission decision establishing EURES5, the network has undergone 
continued  reform  to  adapt  to  the  ever-changing  labour  market.  The  new  EURES 
Regulation  (2016/589)  provides  the  foundations  for  the  strengthening  of  the  network 
by  enhancing  the  accessibility  of  job  vacancies,  laying  the  ground  for  the  exchange  of 
CVs  between  Member  and  Partner  organisations  and  the  EURES  Portal  and  providing 
improved support for jobseekers and employers seeking cross-border opportunities.  

The objective of the new Regulation is to enhance transparency through an increase in 
the number of jobs advertised on the EURES Portal, improve the online matching of job 
vacancies and CVs, provide a minimum agreed package of services for jobseekers and 
employers and extend the range of digital employment services on the EURES Portal. 

1.2.2.  Main elements and timeline of the reform  

The  new  Regulation,  which  came  into  force  on  12  May  2016,  is  supported  by  six 
implementing decisions6 ensuring a uniform implementation across Member States. The 

5  Commission  Decision  93/569/EEC  of  22  October  1993  on  the  implementing  of  Council  Regulation 
(EEC)  No  1612/68  on  freedom  of  movement  for  workers  within  the  Community  as  regards,  in 
particular, a network entitled Eures (European Employment Services). 

6 Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2017/1255 of 11 July 2017 on a template for the description of 
national systems and procedures to admit organisations to become EURES Members and Partners.  
Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2017/1256 of 11 July 2017 on templates and procedures for the 

exchange of information on the EURES network national work programmes at Union level. 

Commission  Implementing  Decision  (EU)  2017/1257  of  11  July  2017  on  the  technical  standards  and 
formats required for a uniform system to enable matching of job vacancies with job applications and 
CVs on the EURES Portal. 

6 

 
                                                 
first  steps  of  the  implementation  were  the  appointment  of  the  NCOs  and  the  PES  as 
EURES Members, as well as the establishment of the ECG in 2016.  

The Regulation set 13 May 2018 as the deadline for EURES member countries to roll-out 
the  uniform  exchange  system  in  order  to  be  able  to  share  all7  job  offers  –  including 
apprenticeships and traineeships  –  which are available from  the PES and other EURES 
Member  organisations  on  the  EURES  Portal  as  well  as  CVs,  provided  that  jobseekers 
have agreed to the transmission of their personal data. The same deadline applied to the 
setting  up  of  admission  systems  in  EURES  member  countries  allowing  organisations 
such  as  private  employment  services  or  third-sector  organisations  to  join  the  EURES 
network  as  Members  or  Partners.  Finally,  the  Regulation  requires  that  reports  on  the 
activities  of  the  network  are  prepared  in  2018  and  2020  and  an  ex-post  evaluation  is 
submitted in 2021. 

2.  MAIN ACTIVITIES OF THE EURES NETWORK: JANUARY 2016 - JUNE 2018 

2.1.  Activities in EURES member countries 

2.1.1.  General support services for workers and employers 

2.1.1.1.  Matching and placement activities 

All EURES member countries provide information and support regarding labour mobility 
in  Europe  for  jobseekers  and  employers  and  organise  recruitment  events,  with  an 
increased cooperation between EURES offices.  

EURES  staff  offer  jobseekers  assistance  in  drawing  up  their  CVs  and  job  applications 
and  help  employers  to  draft  job  requirements  and  vacancies.  To  deliver  this  service, 
EURES  advisers  across  the  network  have  been  in  contact  with  696,514  jobseekers  and 
111,636  employers  in  20178.  According  to  information  received  by  EURES  staff,  their 
activities  resulted  in  around  30,000  placements  across  the  EURES  network  in  20169.  
Thanks  to  the  data  collection  provision  in  the  EURES  Regulation  (Art.  32),  a  more 
precise reporting will be possible in the future. 

Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2018/170 of 2 February 2018 on uniform detailed specifications 
for data collection and analysis to monitor and evaluate the functioning of the EURES network.  
Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2018/1020 of 18 July 2018 on the adoption and updating of the 
list of skills, competences and occupations of the European classification for the purpose of automated 
matching through the EURES common IT platform.  

Commission  Implementing  Decision  (EU)  2018/1021  of  18  July  2018  on  the  adoption  of  technical 
standards and formats necessary for the operation of the automated matching through the common IT 
platform using the European  classification and the interoperability between  national  systems and the 
European classification.  

7 Member States may exclude job offers “which due to their nature or to national rules are open only to 
citizens  of  a  specific  country”,  “relating  to  categories  of  apprenticeships  and  traineeships  which, 
having  mainly  a  learning  component,  are  part  of  national  education  systems  or  which  are  funded 
publicly as part of a Member State’s active labour market policies” and “other job vacancies as part of 
a Member State’s active labour market policies”, as per Article 17 of Regulation (EU) 2016/589.  

8 Data from the EURES Single Market Scoreboard, 2017: 

http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/scoreboard/_docs/2018/eures/2018-scoreboard-eures_en.pdf. 
9 Until 2017, the number of placements were reported by EURES advisers on a voluntary basis (about 50-
60%  of  all  reporting)  and  EURES  advisers  are  not  systematically  informed  of  placements  by 
jobseekers or employers. 

7 

 
                                                                                                                                                 
Matching events are organised to bring together employers and jobseekers and facilitate 
recruitment  across  borders.  EURES  staff  from  destination  countries  are  generally 
invited  to  provide  job  offers  and  information  on  living  and  working  conditions.  As  an 
additional support service for employers, EURES staff can screen CVs in order to pre-
select candidates with the appropriate skill-set for interviews e.g. at ‘job dating’ events. 

A  specific  format  of  matching  events  is  the  European  Job  Days,  gathering  employers 
and  jobseekers  from  several  EURES  member  countries  both  online  and  on  site. 
Seventeen  countries  were  involved  in  the  24  events  organised  in  2017,  which  nearly 
21,500  jobseekers  and  over  1,100  companies  attended,  offering  well  over  10,000  jobs. 
Sixteen such events took place in the first half of 2018.  

Special attention is paid to linking EURES activities to labour market needs in order 
to address priority sectoral and skills needs. Guided by the rationale of tackling mobility 
hurdles in  the context  of EU/EEA labour market integration, some EURES recruitment 
events target the needs and possibilities in specific sectors, particularly when there is a 
recognised  occupational  shortage  in  a  potential  receiving  country  and  a  surplus  of 
workers  in  another.  The  sectors  where  the  largest  number  of  countries  experience 
matching and placement needs are tourism and hospitality10 – both areas where foreign 
language skills are of particular importance. Other sectors where high levels of matching 
are  conducted  through  EURES  include  transport,  health,  construction,  engineering  and 
ICT and seasonal jobs in agriculture.  

2.1.1.2.  Information and guidance 

Relevant  labour  market  information  is  accessible  through  the  EURES  Portal,  with 
EURES  member  countries  regularly  updating  general  information  on  their  labour 
markets and living and working conditions in 26 languages. In addition, at least fourteen 
countries also have their own EURES national website where jobseekers and employers 
can find the labour mobility information they seek, some of it being translated in several 
languages.  

Examples of information and guidance activities for jobseekers and employers provided 
by the EURES network include  factsheets and digital solutions on the national EURES 
websites  on  the  labour,  health,  administrative  or  tax-related  arrangements  in  the 
destination  country.  NCOs  also  organise  workshops,  for  example  to  teach  jobseekers 
how to present a CV to employers in specific countries. Similarly, support from EURES 
advisers  to  employers  typically  relates  to  drafting  job  vacancy  descriptions  in  order  to 
attract workers with appropriate skills from abroad. 

10 EURES Programming Cycle, Assessment of National Activity Reports 2016 and 2017. 

8 

 
                                                 
2.1.2.  Specific support services 

2.1.2.1.  Support services in cross-border regions 

Under  the  new  EURES  Regulation,  EURES  Members  and  Partners  engaging  in  Cross-
border  Partnerships  (CBPs)  or  other  cooperation  and  service  structures  (including  with 
organisations outside the EURES network) provide information as well as placement and 
recruitment  services  tailored  to  the  specific  requirements  and  circumstances  of  frontier 
workers and employers in cross-border regions11.  

These CBPs can apply for financial support in annual calls under the EaSI programme12. 
EaSI  support  is  also  available  for  the  establishment  of  new  CBPs  or  for  the 
implementation of innovative new measures. In 2016, 12 CBPs were supported through 
an EaSI grant from the previous year. In 2017 and 2018, 9 CBPs offered support services 
and placements in the border regions, based on EaSI grants awarded in the previous year.  

Support  services  in  EURES  cross-border  regions  consist  of  multilingual  information 
services  and  job  offers.  These  services  are  delivered  through  physical  and  increasingly 
virtual one-stop-shop solutions. The information provided relates to issues such as social 
security  coordination,  provisions  for  daily  commuting,  the  recognition  of  qualifications 
and  taxation.  Placement  and  recruitment  activities  have  resulted  in  close  to  4,400 
jobseekers  finding  a  cross-border  job  following  an  individual  contact  with  EURES-
related services in 2016 and 201713. 

2.1.2.2.  Post-recruitment assistance 

Post-recruitment  assistance  aims  to  ensure  the  best  possible  integration  of  mobile 
workers  into  their  new  positions.  While  most  EURES  member  countries  focus  on 
providing  information  to  workers  and  employers  prior  to  signing  an  employment 
contract,  a  number  of  them  also  organise  post-recruitment  activities.  For  example, 
EURES  Italy  operates  a  follow-up  database  to  ensure  that  placements  fully  respect 
applicable  labour  standards.  Almost  7,000  requests  from  workers  to  assess  their  case 
were handled in 201614.  

2.1.2.3.  Support to youth – apprenticeships and traineeships  

Various  activities  and  programmes  developed  within  the  EURES  network  focus 
specifically  on  youth.  In  the  European  Council  conclusions  of  June  201215,  Member 
States  and  the  Commission  were  invited  to  further  develop  the  EURES  portal  and,  to 
examine the possibility of extending it to apprenticeships and  traineeships. To that end, 
apprenticeships  and traineeships are now covered under the EURES Regulation  insofar 

11 As set out in Article 3(7) of Regulation (EU) 2016/589. 
12  Data  and  monitoring  reports  are  only  available  for  the  cross-border  partnerships  that  receive  funding 
under the EURES Axis of EASI. As an indication, 11 CBPs have done so successfully in EU budget 
year of 2014 (VP/2014/011), 12 in the EU budget year of 2015 (VP/2015/008), 10 in the EU budget 
year 2016 (call for proposals VP/2016/005), and 9 for the EU budget year of 2017 (VP/2017/006). 
13 European Commission, EURES Cross-Border Partnerships, First Monitoring Report (2016) and Second 

Monitoring Report (2017).  
14 National Activity Report Italy 2016. 
15  European  Council,  Conclusions,  28-29  June  2012.  Available  at:  http://europa.eu/rapid/press-

release_DOC-12-8_en.htm. 

9 

 
                                                 
as  successful  applicants  are  subject  to  an  employment  relationship.  Offers  of  such 
apprenticeships and traineeships are already included in the exchange of job vacancies on 
the EURES portal with 6,567 apprenticeship offers and 1,859 traineeship offers available 
at the end of the reporting period16.  

In addition, companies and organisations can directly showcase the  youth opportunities 
they  have  on  offer  through  a  self-service  in  the  Drop’pin@EURES  section  of  the 
EURES Portal. A total of 2,092 opportunities from 501 companies are currently on offer 
in  32  fields  of  activity  running  from  engineering  to  personal  skills  and  development17. 
ECO is in the process of further facilitating the collection and display of apprenticeship 
and traineeship offers on the portal. The development of tailor-made specifications will 
make it easier for stakeholders to flag their own offers and to search for those of others. 
This new feature is expected to be implemented in 2019.  

2.1.2.4.  EURES-related targeted mobility schemes 

EURES  also  aims  to  reach  specific  groups  of  jobseekers  and  help  fill  vacancies  in 
specific sectors. To that end, EURES activities can be complementary to, or  integrated 
with, EU financed targeted mobility schemes (TMS) financed under the EU Programme 
for  Employment  and  Social  Innovation  (EaSI)  which  seek  to  test  innovative  ways  of 
supporting cross-border job mobility or tackle the needs of specific target groups. 

Your first EURES Job (YfEJ) offers support to young people up to the age of 35 in a 
European-wide search for a job, traineeship or apprenticeship, and to employers seeking 
young  people  with  appropriate  skills  across  EURES  member  countries.  Between  2016 
and mid-2018, four countries (France, Germany, Italy and Sweden) have led Your first 
EURES Job projects. Reports indicate firstly that the typical job finder is between 23 and 
26 years old and has completed higher education or is still in education and secondly that 
over half (52%) of job finders were unemployed at the time of placement. Over 80% of 
those who found a job in another country through the scheme had already worked in their 
country  of  residence,  while  only  28  %  of  them  had  worked  abroad.  Employers  include 
both large companies and SMEs.   

The most important countries of departure over the period were  Italy, Ireland, France 
and Spain. The main receiving countries and sectors are Germany for human health and 
social work; the United Kingdom for education and France for ICT placements18. While 
over 3,000 placements were made, only 15% to 26% of the initial placement targets for 
the  different  programmes  were  achieved  between  2016  and  the  first  half  of  201719. 
Nevertheless,  almost  1,200  placements  for  jobs,  traineeships  and  apprenticeships  were 
secured in  the second half of 2017 alone20, indicating a stronger uptake of the scheme. 
Most  young  people  who  participated  in  the  scheme  have  been  employed  on  a  regular 
work contract and only a small number took up apprenticeships or traineeships. 

16 As measured on the EURES portal on 23 August 2018. 
17 Idem. 
18  European  Commission,  Your  First  EURES  Job,  Targeted  Mobility  Schemes,  5th  Progress  Monitoring 

Report, July – December 2017, published in July 2018. 

19  European  Commission,  Your  First  EURES  Job,  Targeted  Mobility  Schemes,  4th  Progress  Monitoring 

Report, January-June 2017, published in December 2017. 

20  European  Commission,  Your  First  EURES  Job,  Targeted  Mobility  Schemes,  5th  Progress  Monitoring 

Report, July – December 2017, published in July 2018. 

10 

 
                                                 
Reactivate  is  an  intra-EU  job  mobility  scheme  for  workers  aged  35  and  more,  facing 
difficulties  in  finding  a  job  or  training  opportunity  in  their  country  of  residence  and  
willing to move to another country. As with Your first EURES Job, jobseekers can apply 
for  various  forms  of  financial  support  through  the  Reactivate  employment  service. 
Currently,  employment  services  in  four  countries  have  taken  the  lead  in  Reactivate 
projects:  Italy,  France,  Poland  and  Sweden,  with  partners  in  13  countries.  Despite  a 
slow initial take-up, the scheme has long-term potential given that the employment rates 
of older EU workers  currently  working in  a Member State other than the one in  which 
they were born are similar to that of employees of the same age working in their country 
of birth21. 

The European Solidarity Corps also has a labour mobility dimension aiming to create 
opportunities  for  young  people  to  develop  their  skills  and  increase  their  future  labour 
market  prospects  via  a  job  or  a  traineeship  abroad.  Two  projects  are  currently  running 
under  this  scheme:  a  French-led  consortium  aiming  for  1,000  job  and  traineeship 
placements, and an Italian-led one aiming for 400 placements by September 2018.  

The table below provides an overview of the targeted mobility schemes, indicating their 
funding sources, target populations, and the countries which are actively participating in 
the schemes. 

Overview of EURES-related mobility schemes 

Mobility scheme 

Target group 

Lead employment services 

Cross-border 
partnerships (CBPs) 

Jobseekers and employers in border 
regions 

Your first EURES Job 

Jobseekers aged 18-35 years / 
companies with skills needs 

AT, BE, CH, CZ, DE, DK, ES, FR, 
HR, IT, IE, PT, FR, HU, LU, NL, 
PL, SE, SI, SK, UK  

Lead employment services: DE, 
FR, IT, SE 
Partners in: BG, HR, CY, PT, RO, 
SI, ES, DK, FI, IE, LU, NO22 

European Solidarity 
Corps 

Reactivate 

Youth aged 18-30 

Lead employment services: FR, IT   

Jobseekers aged 35 or older / 
employers in need of qualified 
workforce 

Lead employment services in: IT, 
FR, SE, PL 
Partners in: DE, EL, ES, NL, IT, FI, 
IE, LU, PT, RO, SI, BE, CY 

2.1.3.  Resources and governance 

2.1.3.1.  Human resources 

EURES  staff23  work  in  the  national  or  regional  PES  or  in  other  EURES  Member  or 
Partner  organisations.  They  provide  specialised  advice,  guidance  and  assistance  to 
jobseekers  and  employers.  The  distribution  by  country  of  the  total  number  of  EURES 

21 European Commission, Reactivate Progress Monitoring Report, February 2018 (Draft).  
22  Information  provided  on  the  EURES  Portal:  https://ec.europa.eu/eures/public/en/your-first-eures-job-

emp (accessed on 2 August 2018).  

23 The  term  ‘EURES adviser’  is still  frequently used in the  EURES  network, although it  is no longer an 
officially recognised term with the entry into force of the Regulation (EU) 2016/589, which only refers 
to ‘EURES staff’ as the human resources involved in EURES. 

11 

 
                                                 
staff24 roughly reflects the size of national labour markets, ranging from 178 advisers 
in Germany, 92 in Spain and 55 in Poland to 20 in Bulgaria, 15 in the Netherlands, 7 in 
Cyprus and 3 in Estonia.  

2.1.3.2.  Financial resources 

The financial resources available to the network differ significantly from one country to 
another.  Staff  costs  represent  the  major  share  of  the  national  funding.  However,  it  is 
difficult  to  identify  exact  amounts  as  EURES  services  mainly  have  been  part  of  the 
service  offer  of  the  Public  Employment  Services.  In  most  cases,  the  European  Social 
Fund  (ESF)  complements  national  funding,  in  relation  to  recruitment,  advice  and 
guidance services at national and cross-border level. The Commission does not have any 
information  on  the  amounts  allocated  for  EURES  activities  under  ESF  for  the 
programming period 2014-2020. Given the shared management nature of the Fund, the 
information  available  at  EU  level  is  limited  to  what  has  been  agreed  in  the  ESF 
Regulation25    and  in  particular  in  the  Implementing  Regulation  (EU)  No  215/2014  that 
lays out the categories of intervention. 

Horizontal  activities  organised  by  ECO  are  funded  through  the  EURES  axis  of  EaSI26, 
which also accounts for a share of the operational costs of EURES service providers in 
Norway  and  Iceland.  Specific  services  such  as  customised  assistance  under  targeted 
mobility  schemes  are  also  funded  under  EaSI.  A  breakdown  of  the  financial  resources 
available under EaSI for EURES during the reporting period is presented in section 2.2.9 
below.  

2.1.3.3.  IT infrastructure 

All Member States have adapted or are in the process of adapting their IT infrastructure 
to allow for the extended transmission of job vacancies and CVs to the EURES Portal as 
part of the implementation of the 2016 Regulation.  

In  addition,  many  of  them  have  launched  national  initiatives  aimed  at  improving  the 
delivery of online services. For instance, some NCOs have adopted a digital by default 
approach in the delivery of EURES services (United Kingdom) and increased the use of 
technology  to  attract,  recruit  and  match  candidates  by  providing  e-learning  classes  on 
job  search  on  the  EURES  national  homepage  (Denmark).  A  EURES  app  allowing 
employers  to  find  cross-border  workers  in  Belgium  and  the  Netherlands  more  easily  is 
being developed  27(EURES Scheldemond). Other examples of innovative approaches to 
service  delivery  include  the  development  of  a  website  dedicated  to  young  people  in 
Belgium28; close cooperation with the IT part of the YfEj programme in Cyprus; the 

24 For details, see Annex: Figure 2 – Number of EURES advisers and similar staff at EU level in 2017 
25 Regulation (EU) 1304/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 on the 
European Social Fund and repealing Council  Regulation (EC) No 1081/2006, Recital 5 and    Article 
3(a)(i). 

26 Regulation (EU) 1296/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council on of 11 December 2013 on a 
European Union Programme for Employment and Social Innovation ("EaSI") and amending Decision 
No 283/2010/EU establishing a  European Progress Microfinance  Facility for employment and social 
inclusion, Article 20 (b). 

27 https://www.pzc.nl/zeeuws-vlaanderen/grensarbeiders-sneller-te-vinden-via-app~ae498da1/  
28 https://jeunes.leforem.be/ 

12 

 
                                                 
introduction of an  online checklist for PES  advisers on EURES procedures in  Croatia; 
and the roll-out of 38 online services in France and webinars as  a cost-efficient way to 
provide ‘live’ information without geographical constraints. 

2.1.3.4.  Governance and stakeholder cooperation 

NCOs carry out a significant share of their activities in cooperation with a wide range of 
stakeholders at local, regional, national and cross-border levels. These include social 
partners, other European networks, career guidance services, chambers of commerce, and 
authorities  in  charge  of  social  security  and  taxation.  It  can  be  noted  that  the  closer  the 
cooperation with actors on the ground, the more successful jointly organised activities are 
as  they  lead  to  a  greater  number  of  successful  matches  between  jobseekers  and 
employers. 

2.1.3.5.  Communication in EURES member countries 

A  share  of  the  EURES  communication  budget  is  used  to  support  EURES  member 
countries’  communication  activities,  including  funding  to  promote  EURES’  visual 
identity, provide advice on social media matters or support video production and events. 
Awareness  raising  and  communication  activities  target  different  audiences  across  the 
EURES  network.  Some  NCOs  implement  information  campaigns  of  a  general  nature 
(Estonia),  others  target  specific  sectors  (Iceland),  while  others  focus  on  young  people 
(Netherlands). Social media and targeted campaigns are increasingly used to promote 
EURES activities alongside the PES websites, for instance in Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, 
Norway,  Spain  and  Sweden.  EURES  Members’  social  media  accounts  gather  around 
120,000 followers29.  

Information material for employers and jobseekers is tailored, targeted and available in 
different  languages.  In  2017,  some  330,000  copies  of  EURES-related  material  were 
requested  by  the  EURES  Network,  while  the  external  EURES  newsletter  has  reached 
nearly 700,000 subscribers. Innovative communication activities include an information 
day  on  a  train  travelling  between  the  Netherlands  and  Germany  organised  by  the 
regional Cross-border Partnership, the promotion of cross-border mobility at an open-air 
music  festival  and  the  broadcast  of  a  weekly  radio  programme  on  EURES  and  a  TV 
programme on labour mobility in Italy.  

2.1.3.6.  Monitoring and evaluation of activities 

The  new  EURES  Regulation  sets  a  result-oriented  approach  to  the  activities  of  the 
EURES network. The programming cycle has been the main monitoring tool for yearly 
activity  over  the  period.  Within  this  frame,  each  NCO  has  reported  on  the  outputs  and 
outcomes of their national EURES network in a yearly National Activity Report against 
the  objectives  set  out  in  their  National  Work  Programme  (previously  named  Activity 
Plan).  In  addition,  monthly  EURES  adviser  reports  monitor  EURES  services  to 
jobseekers and employers and the EURES  Performance Measurement System (PMS) 
measures  the  performance  and  the  activities  of  the  EURES  network  in  a  consistent 
manner.  As  of  2018,  it  will  be  used  to  monitor  the  programming  of  EURES  activities 

29 In order to have a better overview of national EURES social media channels and their reach, ECO carries 

out a mapping exercise of EURES social media channels every year. 

13 

 
                                                 
according to an agreed set of indicators30.  

2.2.  Horizontal  support  activities  from  the  European  Coordination  Office 

(ECO) 

2.2.1.  Coordination and governance support  

ECO  organises  the  work  of  the  European  Coordination  Group.  It  chairs  its  meetings, 
which are convened at regular intervals to present and discuss recent developments and 
news  across  the  network,  and  to  share  best  practices  and  the  state  of  play  on  the 
implementation process  of the Regulation  and interoperability of IT systems. ECO also 
supervises and facilitates the different stages of the programming cycle and coordinates 
NCOs’ planning, commenting and reporting tasks.    

2.2.2.  Operation and development of the EURES Portal and related IT 

services  

ECO  operates  the  EURES  Job  Mobility  Portal.  It  has  also  set  up  a  new  system  and 
procedures, defined in close cooperation with Member States, to ensure the exchange of 
job vacancies and CVs. A set of standards for the format of job vacancies and CVs based 
on  international  industry  HR  Open  standards  have  been  adopted  in  2017.  ECO  has 
offered  specific  default  implementation  modules  to  Member  States,  thus  easing 
substantially  the  implementation  effort  to  take  part  in  the  new  exchange  system.  The 
transition  to  the  new  system  on  the  EURES  Portal  took  place  in  the  first  half  of  2018. 
Monitoring and assistance mechanisms in relation to technical readiness and data quality 
have been set up. 

2.2.3.  Training and professional development  

ECO provides a common training programme and professional development for the staff 
of  the  EURES  Members  and  Partners.  This  includes  the  implementation  of  a  renewed 
training  programme  for  EURES;  the  launch  of  the  EURES  Academy  in  2016,  which 
encompasses  all  training  activities  under  the  EURES  Regulation  with  the  goal  of 
providing EURES staff with the necessary tools, competences and skills for developing 
placement  and  recruitment  activities.  Significant  interest  in  EU  level  training  has  been 
reported by the national EURES networks31. 

At  national  level,  EURES  Members  and  Partners  train  their  staff  in  order  to  ensure  a 
basic common level of knowledge on EURES. New staff receive pre-training in various 
formats (e.g. classroom, online, on the job or with self-learning tools) at national level in 
order to  better  grasp the objectives,  tools  and strategies of the network  from  a national 

30  Commission  Implementing  Decision  (EU)  2018/170  of  2  February  2018  on  uniform  detailed 
specifications for data collection and analysis to monitor and evaluate the functioning of the EURES 
network.  

31 Single Market Scoreboard 2017 

http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/scoreboard/performance_by_governance_tool/eures/index_en.htm 
(accessed 2 August 2018). ECO reports that ‘in 2017, a total of 696 participants took part in onsite 
trainings, 480 in online trainings and 132 in the Consolidation Phase, covering 30 countries; in the first 
half of 2018, 360 participants from 27 EURES Member countries were scheduled classroom trainings. 
The quality of the training offer is monitored through customer feedback. In 2017, this highlighted that 
the majority of participants found the courses to be useful and well organised and the content 
applicable.’ 

14 

 
                                                 
perspective.  This  national  level  training  is  prepared  by  NCOs  on  the  basis  of  the 
indicative guidelines, tools and helpdesk provided by the EURES Training Team.  

2.2.4.  Helpdesk  

ECO provides a helpdesk function for all users of the EURES Portal and its services (i.e. 
jobseekers,  employers,  staff  of  the  EURES  Members  and  Partners,  NCOs  and  guest 
visitors).  This  includes  replies  to  all  enquires  relating  to  the  services  provided  on  the 
EURES Portal, including the Extranet section, and the services provided on the European 
Job  Days  platform.  Enquiries  can  be  put  forward  through  the  Portal  web  form,  a  free 
phone number, an online chat or Skype. In 2017, the EURES helpdesk processed around 
20,000 user enquiries. 

2.2.5.  Networking, exchange of best practice and mutual learning  

ECO  facilitates  networking,  mutual  learning  and  the  exchange  of  best  practices  within 
the  EURES  network.  Apart  from  the  regular  meetings  of  the  ECG  and  other  expert 
groups,  a  number  of  specific  mutual  learning  events  have  been  organised  over  the 
period. Their purpose is to exchange ideas and best practices among NCOs and enhance 
cooperation within the network. For instance, a mutual learning event on the design and 
implementation  of  admission  systems  for  EURES  Members  and  Partners  and  an  event 
with  external  experts on best  practices in  automated matching tools were held  in  2018. 
Moreover, a new version of the EURES Extranet became operational in early 2018. Its 
objective  is  to  support  and  encourage  collaboration  and  the  exchange  of  information 
across the EURES network through interactive work spaces and fora.  

2.2.6.  Information and communication activities  

ECO supports  information and communication  activities within the EURES network to 
foster  EURES  awareness,  in  line  with  the  EURES  communication  strategy  for  2015-
2020.  It  prepares  targeted  guidance  documents  for  EURES  member  countries’ 
multiannual  national  communication  plans,  while  a  pool  of  national  communication 
experts has been established to share and promote best practices. In addition, ECO runs 
the European Online Job Days platform and supports and hosts the organisation of over 
30 job days and recruitment events (online, onsite or both) per year. 

The  EURES  social  media  accounts  count  over  260,000  followers  on  Facebook,  more 
than 36,000 on Twitter and 28,000 on LinkedIn. The EURES YouTube channel has been 
reorganised to reflect the different target groups and provide a clearer video overview. In 
2017,  the  first  EURES  social  media  campaign  took  place.  The  #YourCareerMove 
campaign  was  intended  to  raise  awareness  of  the  range  of  EURES  services  and  to 
promote  cooperation  within  the  network.  The  campaign  generated  an  estimated  10 
million impressions, 440 quiz participants created a EURES profile during the campaign 
(which  represents  a  conversion  rate  that  is  4  to  5  times  higher  than  the  social  media 
average) and 85% of NCOs were satisfied with  the campaign’s promotional tools. This 
campaign  has  been  shortlisted  for  the  Digital  Communications  Awards  2018  in  the 
“Institutions” category. 

Since 2016, ECO has published 216 news articles on the EURES portal and 114 articles 
on the EURES Extranet  portal. The EURES portal articles showcase  success stories of 
jobseekers  and  employers  engaging  with  EURES,  recruitment  trends  or  job  hunting 
and  recruitment  tips.  Drop’pin@EURES  publications  have  been  updated  and  a 

15 

 
Practitioner’s  Guide  to  EURES  has  been  developed,  with  the  aim  to  explain  the 
changes brought by the new EURES Regulation.  In addition, ECO has compiled a new 
leaflet and trifold for the Reactivate scheme.  

ECO  has  also  developed  infographics,  a  EURES  style  guide,  and  updated  graphic 
guidelines  and  the  EOJD  manual  for  event  organisers.  The  EURES  News  and 
Information  Bureau  (ENIB)  has  adopted  a  new  content  strategy  to  facilitate  the 
planning  and  alignment  of  its  publications  with  social  media  activities.  Monthly  topics 
were defined and regular updates and reminders sent, while communications material are 
made  available  for  the  whole  EURES  network  in  the  communication  workspace  of  the 
new Extranet.  

2.2.7.  Analysis of geographic and occupational mobility 

Every  year,  the  Commission  publishes  a  report  on  labour  mobility  containing  key 
information  on  flows  and  patterns  in  the  Union  and  EFTA  countries,  with  a  particular 
focus  on  the  labour  market  situation  of  mobile  workers  and  the  gender  dimension32. 
Based on this information, an analysis of labour market shortages and surpluses and their 
causes in the EURES member countries has been produced annually since 201733.  

2.2.8.  Development  of  an  appropriate  cooperation  and  clearance 

structure for apprenticeships and traineeships 

The  matching  and  placing  of  candidates  from  other  countries  into  apprenticeship  and 
traineeship offers is  complex and resource-intensive given the significant differences in 
institutional settings between EURES member countries. ECO contributes to developing 
a  common  understanding  and  appropriate  support  services  by  providing  a  set  of 
minimum  data quality requirements and information  on apprenticeships and internships 
on  the  EURES  Portal.  In  particular,  ECO  is  currently  developing,  together  with  the 
Member  States,  recommendations  for  host  organisations  on  the  process  from  the 
publication of the offer  until  the end of the apprenticeship  or traineeship, including the 
transmission  of  the  offer  and  the  interaction  of  EURES  Members  and  Partners  with 
organisations  publishing the offers. These  recommendations, once agreed upon, will be 
published on the EURES Portal. 

2.2.9.  Financial resources 

The EURES axis of the EaSI programme provides the financing of the horizontal support 
activities, such as  the development and maintenance of the EURES Job Mobility portal, 
the  common  training  programme,  communication,  analytical  and  network  activities, 
Your first EURES Job and cross border partnerships.  
The  table  below  shows  an  indicative  breakdown  of  the  resources  actually  committed 
following procurement and grant award procedures34:   

Main Activities 

1.  Job Mobility Portal 
2.  Help desk  

2016 

2017 

3.600.000 
300.000 

4.270.000 
350.000 

Half of 
2018 
2.280.000 
250.000 

32 Annual reports on intra-EU labour mobility 2016 and 2017 are available from the EU bookshop. 
33 The report “Labour shortages and surpluses 2017” is available from the EU bookshop.  
34   The table is not exhaustive as some specific budget items are not included such as the support to the 
EEA countries and social partners (depending on the call for proposals) and hosting fees for the portal.  

16 

 
 
                                                 
3.  Translations  
4.  Common Training programme 
5.  Network meetings  
6.  Support to the network activities 
7.  Your first EURES job  
8.  Cross border partnerships 

500.000 
1.600.000 
100.000 
2.800.000 
9.900.100 
3.900.000 

500.000 
1.800.000. 
140.000 
2.800.000 
3.000.000 
3.400.000 

543.500 
875.000 
125.000 
1.225.000 
7.054.000 
3.226.090,5 

17 

 
 
 
 
3. 

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE REGULATION IN THE MEMBER STATES 

This section describes the state of play of the application  in the Member States of the 
EURES  Regulation  as  required  by  the  second  subparagraph  of  Article  33  of  that 
Regulation.  The  analysis  is  based  on  replies  received  from  the  NCOs  on  a  survey  and 
compliance checklist and other information available to the Commission. The table at the 
top  of  each  sub-section  provides  a  summary  view  of  the  compliance  checklist  on  the 
implementation  of  the  Regulation.  When  data  on  (sub-)actions  are  reported,  the  table 
presents an aggregate outcome of the actions. When data for all sub-actions are reported, 
the lowest value is presented. When no data are reported for some sub-actions, the action 
is presented as partially completed. 

*Data are reported as not available by the NCO or no data were reported. 

3.1.  Composition of the network and organisational matters  

3.1.1.  Regulation requirements 

Member  States  have  to  inform  ECO  about  their  designated  NCO.  The  Public 
Employment Service holds a special status as a Member in each Member States. A set 
of  minimum  criteria35  outlines  the  obligations  PES  need  to  fulfil  for  their  role  as 
EURES  Members.  In  order  to  comply  with  the  requirement,  PES  can  outsource, 
delegate  or  conclude  specific  agreements  with  organisations  under  their  responsibility. 
Organisations  which  have  been  part  of  the  national  EURES  networks  since  before  the 
entry  into  force  of  the  2016  Regulation  may  remain  Partners  during  a  transitional 
period before having to re-apply to become Member or Partners of the EURES network. 
NCO shall inform ECO of the composition of their network during the transition period.  

3.1.2.  Implementation 

All  Member  States  have  designated  their  NCO  and  representatives  for  the  European 
Coordination  Group,  and  informed  ECO  hereof.  Responsibilities  for  the  PES  and 
changes  to  the  network  stemming  from  the  new  EURES  Regulation  have  been 
communicated to the relevant authorities and partner organisations in all Member States. 
As a result, some of the NCOs have changed their staff structure and in some cases the 
EURES  network  has  undergone  a  change  with,  for  example,  regional  PES  offices 
becoming Members and, together with the NCO, forming the national EURES network. 

35 Regulation 2016/589, Annex I: Minimum common criteria.  

18 

Data not available*VCompleted∆Partially completedXNot completedI. Composition of the network and organisational mattersATBEBGCYCZDEDKEEELESFIFRHRHUIEITLTLVLUMTNLPLPTROSISKSEUKCHISLINOAction 1: Designation of the NCO (Article 9(1)) and notification of ECOVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVAction 2: Designation of a representative for the Coordination Group (Art. 14) and notification of ECOVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVAction 3: Appointment of the PES relevant for the activities in the EURES network as EURES Members (Art. 10)VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVAction 4: Identification of the organisations currently operating in the EURES network which continue in the transitional period (Art. 40)∆V-∆-V∆∆∆∆∆X-∆-V----V∆X∆∆X∆∆∆--- 
 
                                                 
As  required,  NCOs  have  informed  ECO  of  these  changes  to  the  national  EURES 
networks and to the structure of the NCO via the EURES helpdesk. EURES services to 
jobseekers and employers, both online and offline, are provided through the PES. In a 
number  of  Member  States,  EURES  services  are  fully  integrated  into  the  national  PES 
services. 

3.1.3.  Challenges 

Member  States  report  that,  while  the  number  of  tasks  for  which  the  NCO  is 
responsible have grown with the implementation of the Regulation, this has not always 
been  followed  by  an  increase  in  staff  or  budget  allocations.  In  particular,  one-person 
NCOs in smaller Member States report that they are faced with a heavy administrative 
burden  and  reporting  duties  under  the  new  EURES  Regulation.  In  particular,  the 
broadening  of  the  EURES  network  in  order  to  admit  Members  and  Partners  is 
expected  to  have  a  significant  impact  on  the  management  needs  of  the  NCOs.  As  the 
network is expanding, so are the tasks for NCOs to manage and coordinate so that new 
Members and Partners are connected to the common IT platform, fulfil their monitoring 
and reporting requirements and the quality of data (job vacancies and CVs) shared on the 
EURES portal is ensured. 

3.2.  Governance  and  interaction  with  organisations  outside  the  EURES 

network 

3.2.1.  Regulation requirements 

The core organisations of the EURES network in the Member States are the PES and 
other EURES Members and Partners. However, the functioning of the network requires 
cooperation  with  numerous  other  organisations.  The  Regulation  specifies  as  one  of 
NCOs’  responsibilities  the  promotion  of  collaboration  with  relevant  stakeholders  in 
the context of EURES network. National EURES networks are also required to cooperate 
with  other  EU  information  and  advisory  services  and  networks.  In  addition,  NCOs 
should  facilitate regular  dialogues for the EURES network with  the  social  partners, in 
line  with  national  law  and  practice.  In  view  of  providing  access  to  information  to 
jobseekers and employers on taxation, issues related to work contracts, pensions, health 
insurance,  social  security  and  active  labour  market  measures,  the  NCOs  also  need  to 
establish contacts with competent authorities at national level.  

3.2.2.  Implementation 

The  first  stakeholder  group  are  national  level  authorities,  as  well  as  social  partners  in 
many  Member  States.  Information  about  EURES  is  typically  shared  through  regular 
meetings  and  coordination  sessions.  Other  stakeholder  organisations  who  are  active  in 
the field of European labour mobility, such as EU information and advisory services, also 
receive  information  on  EURES  and  are  regularly  invited  to  attend  or  co-organise 
EURES events. Several Member States have completed their  stakeholder mapping of 
organisations currently outside the EURES network, while others are still working on it. 

19 

II. Governance and cooperation with organisations outside EURESATBEBGCYCZDEDKEEELESFIFRHRHUIEITLTLVLUMTNLPLPTROSISKSEUKCHISLINOAction 1: Re-establish collaboration with stakeholders (Art. 9(7))--XV--VX∆∆VX∆V-∆-VVXVXXX∆∆VXX--XAction 2: Re-establish cooperation with other EU information and advisory services and networks (Art. 16(2))--X∆--V∆∆VVXVV-∆-V∆XVX∆X∆∆VX∆--XAction 3: Dialogue with the social partners at national level (Art. 16(3))∆-V∆--VV∆VV∆VV-∆-VVX∆∆∆VV∆XV∆--XAction 4: Establish cooperation with relevant competent authorities (Art. 26(2))  and inform Members and Partners--∆∆--VX∆VV∆VV-V-VVVVXVVV∆∆X∆--V 
In  the  future,  some  of  these  organisations  may  be  invited  to  become  Members  or 
Partners.  The  mapping  also  shows  where  the  network  can  be  strengthened  through 
partnerships, for example with  providers of  apprenticeships and traineeships,  for which 
arrangements that are currently lacking in several countries.  

3.2.3.  Challenges 

 No  specific  challenges  were  reported  by  the  Member  States  in  relation  to  this  set  of 
requirements. 

3.3.  Broadening the network 

3.3.1.  Regulation requirements 

To  join  the  EURES  network  as  a  new  Member  or  Partner,  organisations  can  be 
admitted through national admission systems to be put in place by each Member State, 
based on the minimum criteria set out in the EURES Regulation. Member States may add 
national  admission  criteria,  to  maintain  control  over  the  accreditation  of  new  Members 
and Partners in line with national requirements as well as the Regulation. Pursuant to the 
EURES  Regulation  and  the  related  implementing  decision,  all  Member  States  should 
have  put  in  place  such  an  admission  system,  including  for  the  monitoring  of  the 
compliance of Member and Partners, and notified ECO36. Prior to the implementation of 
the  admission  system  to  broaden  the  network  in  May  2018,  a  transition  period  was 
provided for in the Regulation. This has allowed the EURES networks to continue their 
cooperation with partner organisations, such as cross-border partners, while preparing for 
the requirements for Members and Partners under the new EURES Regulation.  

3.3.2.  Implementation 

All  but  one  Member  State  have  indicated  that  they  have  prepared,  or  put  in  place,  an 
admission  system,  but  only  a  third  of  them  had  officially  notified  ECO  about  their 
respective systems  by July 2018.  In a number of Member States, prospective Members 
and Partners are invited to join meetings and workshops on EURES’ activities and how 
to  become  a  Member  or  Partner,  while  other  Member  States  have  launched 
communication  strategies  to  reach  out  to  potential  Members  and  Partners,  informing 
them  about  the  EURES  network.  No  new  Members  or  Partners  had  been  admitted  by 
July 2018, but several NCOs have announced that they were in the process of assessing 
applications or had published calls for applications. 

Member  States  will  monitor  the  compliance  of  their  Members  and  Partners  with  the 
Regulation and have either set up appropriate systems, or are preparing a mechanism to 
do so. Compliance includes reporting data and sharing information with the NCO, which 
in turn reports to ECO.  

36  An  implementing  act,  referring  to  Art.11(8)  with  a  template  for  the  description  of  the  national  system 

and procedures for sharing information between Member States has not yet been adopted. 

20 

III. Broadening the networkATBEBGCYCZDEDKEEELESFIFRHRHUIEITLTLVLUMTNLPLPTROSISKSEUKCHISLINOAction 1: Preparation for the admission system (Art. 11) and notification to ECOXV∆V-V∆VV∆VXVX-V-∆XVV∆VXXVVVX--XAction 2: Implementation of the admission system (Art. 11, 12)X--X-V∆-XXVX-X---∆--∆∆-XX∆-XX---Action 3: Compliance with the template of the national system and procedures for sharing info between Member States (Art. 11(8))X--V--∆VV∆V∆V∆-V-∆∆VV∆VX∆V∆V∆---Action 4: Monitoring compliance by Members and PartnersX--∆---∆∆∆V∆V∆-X-∆∆VV∆X∆∆∆∆VX--∆ 
                                                 
3.3.3.  Challenges 

Almost half of the Member States state that they face delays in the national legislative 
procedure  for  putting  in  place  an  admission  system.  .  Moreover,  a  consequence  of 
broadening the EURES network is that the NCOs need to manage a larger network, to 
ensure the connection and interoperability of Members and Partners with the common IT 
platform, and to safeguard the quality of data and information shared and reported within 
the network and on the EURES portal. 

3.4. 

Job vacancies and CV exchanges 

3.4.1.  Regulation requirements 

The  transparent  exchange  of  job  vacancies,  job  applications,  and  CVs,  is  one  of  the 
key  features  of  the  new  EURES  Regulation.  The  Regulation  requires  all  EURES 
Members and Partners to transfer their publicly available job vacancies to the EURES 
portal  and  prepare  for  the  exchange  of  apprenticeship  and  traineeship  data.  Member 
States  are  also  expected  to  share  information  on  national  practices  and  data  issues.  All 
data  exchanges  must  take  place  through  a  single  coordinated  channel.  Technical 
standards should be applied by all for the functioning of automated matching. Member 
States should also monitor applications by EURES Members and Partners and ensure the 
visibility of EURES at national level.  

3.4.2.  Implementation 

Member  States  have  made  the  necessary  adjustments  for  the  implementation  of  the 
Single  Coordinated  Channel.  While  most  Member  States  have  met  the  May  2018 
deadline for the exchange of job vacancies, more time appears to be needed regarding 
CV exchanges37. Apprenticeships and traineeships with a professional component are 
transferred  to  the  EURES  portal  in  most  Member  States,  together  with  other  job 
vacancies.  Several  Member  States  are  working  to  improve  their  apprenticeship  and 
traineeship  offerings  through  EURES,  by  reaching  out  to  providers  and  setting  up  a 
system for the collection of vacancies.  

With a view to developing an automated matching tool through the EURES portal, the 
European  classification  for  skills,  competences  and  occupations  (ESCO)  is  being 
progressively implemented in the EURES network by all Member States. At the time of 
the  drafting  of  this  Report,  an  analysis  of  the  national  classification  systems  was 
completed or ongoing in most Member States, showing gaps in compliance with ESCO.  

3.4.3.  Challenges 

The  exchange  of  CVs  is  still  a  ‘work  in  progress’  in  most  Member  States.  Only  one 
Member State was ready by the July 2018 deadline with the expectation that a few others 
will  be  able  to  join  by  the  end  of  2018.  Technical  changes  to  adapt  IT  systems  to  the 
single  coordinated  channel  are  still  needed.  Another  challenge  is  the  outdated  IT 
infrastructure in some regions which is unable to handle activities that should be part of 

37 For details on the status of the implementation in the individual Member States, see Annex figures 6 and 

7.  

21 

IV. Data exchange mechanisms, visibility, tools, interoperabilityATBEBGCYCZDEDKEEELESFIFRHRHUIEITLTLVLUMTNLPLPTROSISKSEUKCHISLINOAction 1: Job vacancy exchange functioningV∆VVVVVVVVVVVVVV∆-VVVVVVVVVVVVV∆Action 2: CV exchange functioning-∆∆∆V∆V∆∆∆---∆∆-∆-∆∆--∆∆∆∆--∆--∆ 
                                                 
the integrated coordination mechanisms. A lack of human, financial or IT resources are 
the  most  frequently  quoted  reasons  for  delays  in  the  implementation  of  planned  IT-
related activities at national level. Finally, a few Member States have expressed concern 
for the protection and safety of personal data when exchanging job vacancies and CVs on 
the EURES portal. This has been addressed by ECO. 

3.5. 

Support services 

3.5.1.  Regulation requirements 

Member  States  are  required  to  ensure  the  continuity  of  EURES  services  through  their 
national  PES,  provide  information  and  assistance  to  jobseekers  and  employers  with 
their registration on the EURES portal and to  monitor applications of future Members 
and  Partners.  Support  services  should  also  be  provided  in  cross-border  regions  and 
Member  States  are  expected  to  mainstream  mobility  support  in  their  national  active 
labour market policies. 

3.5.2.  Implementation 

Almost  all  Member  States  report  that  they  ensure  continuity  in  providing  support 
services for jobseekers and employers. Information on EURES is available through all 
the PES websites and national EURES portals, where applicable. As one of the support 
services of EURES, guidance and support for jobseekers and employers to register on 
the  EURES  portal  is  provided.  In  Croatia,  this  is  further  supported  by  tutorial  videos 
showing how to use the EURES portal. More detailed information is generally available 
online, in particular regarding targeted mobility schemes. A number of Member States 
consider that information on the EURES portal and PES  website should be made more 
easily accessible in a few clicks.  

Support  services  also  extend  to  cross-border  regions.  In  17  Member  States,  the 
identification  of  organisations  which  can  provide  support  services  in  cross-border 
regions, including job-searches, is completed or in progress. However, in order to comply 
with  the  Regulation,  some  Member  States  need  to  improve  the  support  provided  for 
finding a job abroad, including opening up Active Labour Market Policies to include job-
search assistance for finding jobs abroad and allowing non-nationals to use the service.  

In  each  Member  State,  EURES  case  handling  staff  have  full  access  to  the  EURES 
portal,  including  job  vacancies  and  CVs,  after  NCO  validation.  They  also  receive 
information  and  guidance  documents  on  handling  procedures,  with  a  specific  focus  on 
the issue of CV data protection, which one Member State reports will be included in the 
training of EURES advisers. 

22 

V. Support servicesATBEBGCYCZDEDKEEELESFIFRHRHUIEITLTLVLUMTNLPLPTROSISKSEUKCHISLINOAction 1: Ensuring continuity through PESV-VV--VVVV-∆VV-V-VVVVVVVVVVV∆--VAction 2: Assistance with registration on EURES portal (Art. 20)--∆V--V∆VV-V∆V-V-V-∆VX∆X∆V∆∆X--XArticle 3: Basic information on EURES (Art. 22)--V∆--V∆∆V-V∆V-V-V-VVVVXVVV∆X--∆Article 4: Monitoring the application by Members and Partners∆--∆--∆XX∆-X∆∆-∆-∆∆∆V∆XX∆∆∆XX--XAction 5: Support services in cross-border regions------VV-V-∆∆∆-V--V-V∆VV∆∆∆XV---Action 6: Mainstreaming mobility support in active labour market measures (Art. 28, recital 46)V-----VV-V-∆V∆-V-V∆-VVXVVXVV∆--X 
3.5.3.  Challenges 

No  specific  challenges  were  reported  by  the  Member  States  in  relation  to  this  set  of 
requirements.  

3.6. 

Information exchange, programming and performance measurement  

3.6.1.  Regulation requirements 

Information exchange within the EURES network on activities, strategies and events is 
the  baseline  for  cooperation  within  and  across  countries,  and  with  the  European 
Commission.  Coordination  across  the  EURES  network  is  supported  by  information 
exchanges  between  the  relevant  staff  and  bodies  within  each  Member  State  and 
appropriate  internal  cooperation  agreements.  Specific  coordination  mechanisms  for 
each  national  context  are  in  place  to  collect  and  report  the  information  required  by  the 
Regulation to the NCO. 

3.6.2.  Implementation 

In  several  Member  States,  a  template  or  online  tool  has  been  developed  so  that  all 
parties  involved  can  fulfil  their  reporting  duties  more  easily.  Importantly,  coordination 
efforts  have  led  to  an  intensification  of  cooperation  between  EURES  staff  and  PES 
employer services in several Member States. In terms of coordination with regard to what 
has  to  be  delivered  for  the  Regulation,  regular  events  and  joint  meetings  have  been 
organised  with  all  relevant  national  level  stakeholders,  including  business  forums  and 
employer events. To bring more expertise to the network, partners are brought on board 
by the PES, e.g. on apprenticeships and traineeships, in some Member States.  

The  areas  where  Member  States  undertake  efforts  to  establish  information  exchanges 
extend  to  labour  market  shortages  and  surpluses  in  national  and  sectoral  labour 
markets - and is now addressed by 22 Member States. As a result of this data collection, 
most  Member  States  are  contributing  to  a  joint  labour  market  analysis  for  EURES,  as 
well  as  improving  the  programming  of  activities  and  targeted  cooperation  across 
countries.  

The overall performance of EURES is measured through the  PMS, for which ECO has 
created  a  reporting  tool  that  is  shared  with  all  NCOs.  In  view  of  diligent  reporting, 
several  Member  States  have  set  up  their  own  national  data  collection  procedures.  In 
addition,  the  Regulation  requires  NCOs  to  report  discrepancies  between  the  number  of 
job vacancies transferred to the EURES portal and the number of job vacancies publicly 
available  to  the  PES,  as  well  as  to  Members  and  Partners,  along  with  any  difference 
between  the  number  of  job  vacancies  transferred  to  the  EURES  portal  and  the  total 
number  of  national  level  job  vacancies.  In  the  latter  case,  a  number  of  countries  report 
that  they  do  not  to  have  access  to  job  vacancy  data  at  national  level,  because  it  is  not 
collected.  

In relation to the programming cycle, improving the peer review exercise and templates 

23 

VI. Info exchange, programming, performance measurementATBEBGCYCZDEDKEEELESFIFRHRHUIEITLTLVLUMTNLPLPTROSISKSEUKCHISLINOAction 1: Exchange of informationV-X∆--VV∆V-∆∆∆-∆-∆∆∆V∆∆∆∆∆XVX--∆Action 2: Compliance with templates for the exchange of information on national work programmes (Art. 31)VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVAction 3: Compliance with uniform specification for data collection for monitoring and evaluation of het EURES network (Art. 32)V-V∆--VV∆V-VV∆-V-V∆VVV∆XV∆VVX--∆ 
where Member States can view and comment  on each other’s work programme for the 
upcoming year, is expected to greatly improve cooperation across the network.  

3.6.3.  Challenges 

Member States report issues with data collection and reporting for both the PMS and 
the programming cycle, and suggest points for improvement. Overall, the streamlining of 
all  data  collection  methods  is  thought  to  lighten  the  burden  of  reporting  for  the  NCOs. 
While a number of Member States do not currently encounter any difficulties, others find 
the reporting obligations challenging. For instance, not all Member States currently have 
access to the data needed to report on every indicator of the PMS. It is thought that an 
online  reporting  tool  allowing  automated  data  extractions  linked  to  the  PES  system 
would limit the errors that occur through manual reporting. Further guidance on how to 
use and compare the various data sources, such as Eurostat, PES data, national statistics, 
data  extracted  from  IT  systems,  and  reports  from  other  countries,  is  also  needed  to 
improve the quality of data reporting. 

An  important  challenge  to  get  a  full  view  on  EURES  performance  is  the  collection  of 
data  on  job  placements  through  the  EURES  network38.  Until  2017,  the  number  of 
placements were reported by EURES advisers on a voluntary basis (about 50-60% of all 
reporting).  In  addition,  EURES  advisers  are  not  systematically  informed  of  placements 
by jobseekers or employers.   

4. 

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE REGULATION BY THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION  

This section provides an overview of the state of play of the application  at EU level of 
the  EURES  Regulation  as  required  by  the  second  subparagraph  of  Article  33  of  that 
Regulation, as summarised in the compliance checklist presented below.  

4.1.1.  Regulation requirements 

Areas of ECO activities 

Provision of horizontal support activities for the benefit of the EURES network 

Preparation for the application of the EURES Regulation 

Facilitation of networking, mutual learning and exchange of best practices (Article 8) 

Status 

V 

V 

V 

Information and communication activities regarding the EURES network (Articles 1 – 8) 

ΔΔ  

Provision of training programme for the NCOs EURES members/partners (Article 8) 

Support to broadening the network and the admission systems (Articles 3 – 7 – 11) 

Programming  cycle  and  exchange  of  labour  market  information  including  joint 
analysis  

Development  and  operation  of  EURES  Portal  (including  helpdesk  function)  and 
interoperability platform (including for apprenticeships and traineeships)  

V 

V 

V 

Δ 

38 This point was also a finding in the European Court of Auditors Special Report n°.6 (2018), accessible 

on: http://publications.europa.eu/webpub/eca/special-reports/eu-labour-mobility-6-2018/en/.  

24 

 
                                                 
Measuring performance and monitoring progress 

Management and dialogue at EU level 

4.1.2.  Implementation 

V 

V 

ECO  has  completed  all  preparatory  and  accompanying  activities  relating  to  the  new 
EURES Regulation and provided implementation guidance to EURES organisations at 
the national level, e.g. in terms of training, mutual learning events etc. It has carried out 
all necessary activities for the setting up of the new data exchange system.  

It is on track to further improve the utility and features of the EURES Extranet and to 
dedicate  resources  to  delivering  network  facilitation  through  events  and  workshops  as 
well as with the development of EURES communication tools.  

In  terms  of  staff  training  activities,  ECO  has  fully  launched  its  EURES  Academy  as 
well as external stakeholder and central training programs.  

For  the  setting-up  of  the  EURES  monitoring  cycle,  the  formalisation  of  reporting 
templates  and  joint  analyses  has  been  accomplished.  In  that  respect,  ECO  is  still 
working  on  a  coherent  approach  towards  labour  market  information  for  the  purpose  of 
EURES.  The  PMS  has  been  fully  installed  and  will  deliver  operational  results  in  the 
reporting year 2018. The roll-out of the evaluation and monitoring methods of the PMS 
remains to be completed. 

Finally, ECO has completed its project to provide a centralised helpdesk on the EURES 
Portal.  

4.1.3.  Challenges 

With regards to a long-term framework for mutual learning and information exchange on 
EURES  Members  and  Partners’  admission  procedures,  ECO  acknowledges  that  this 
remains a ‘work in progress’.  

5.  CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 

5.1.  Conclusions 

The  ambitious  reform  of  EURES  set  out  in  the  EURES  Regulation,  which  came  into 
force on 12 May 2016, is reaching completion as the deadline for implementation passed 
in May 2018. The implementation process has taken place in a challenging environment 
impacted  by  a  number  of  external  factors  such  as  changes  in  the  financial  support 
available for national activities and new data protection requirements. Nevertheless, most 
of the obligations, both at European and national level, have been fulfilled or are well on 
track  for  being  fulfilled.  The  following 
the 
accomplishments made in the reporting period:  

list  shows  some  examples  of 

  The  full  legal  framework  has  been  put  in  place  with  the  adoption  of  the  six 

implementing decisions under the EURES Regulation; 

  All  Member  States  have  nominated  a  NCO  and  appointed  PES  as  EURES 

Members; 

  EURES  is  already  starting  to  act  as  a  more  dynamic  network  with  an  increased 

25 

 
number of actors, activities and services and enhanced communication, including 
on social media; 

  The  transition  to  a  new  data  exchange  system  for  job  vacancies  and  CVs 

following the definition of new formats and standards is well under way; 

  EURES has  taken up its  role as a centre of  expertise on labour market  mobility 
and a laboratory for innovative mobility projects (targeted mobility schemes);  

  The EURES portal continues to be an effective European placement tool; 

  The new monitoring and reporting provisions in the Regulation are implemented 
and  will  allow  more  complete  and  consistent  reporting  on  EURES  activities, 
including on placements in the future  

There  are,  however,  still  a  number  of  challenges  to  be  tackled  both  in  a  short  and  in  a 
long  term  perspective.  To  make  the  extension  of  the  network  to  new  Members  and 
Partners  a  reality,  all  Member  States  must  put  in  place  effective  and  transparent 
admission  systems  and  share  information  about  admitted  organisations  across  the 
network.  The  system  for  the  exchange  of  job  vacancies  and  CVs  must  be  fully 
implemented  by  all  Member  States  while  ensuring  that  all  relevant  job  vacancies  and 
CVs are sent  to  the EURES  Portal timely and  meeting  common quality standards.  In  a 
longer  term  perspective,  it  will  also  be  necessary  to  ensure  appropriate  synergies  with 
similar or complementing initiatives such as Europass2 and the Single Digital Gateway.  

These challenges will be dealt with together with the setting up of the European Labour 
Authority (ELA), proposed by the Commission in March 2018 and provisionally agreed 
by the European Parliament and Council in February 2019. In the medium term, EURES 
coordination activities will indeed be the responsibility of the ELA which should reach 
its full capacity by 2024. This will be achieved through a formal transfer to the ELA of 
the EURES European Coordination Office (ECO).  

Under the responsibility of ELA, ECO will strengthen EURES role in the promotion of 
fair  mobility  conditions.  It  will  benefit  from  a  comprehensive  operational  structure 
dedicated to EU labour mobility and from specialised expertise in different areas which 
may provide ideas on further challenges to be addressed or innovative policy approaches 
and  tools.  In  turn,  ECO  will  contribute  to  the  functioning  of  the  Authority  through  its 
expertise, network, and tools. 

This transfer will have no impact on how the network operates on the ground. 

5.2.  Recommendations for Member States for the next reporting period 

The  current  priority  concerns  of  the  Member  States  for  the  next  reporting  period  are 
financing  schemes,  dialogue  and  cooperation,  digital  activities, 
information 
exchange and monitoring and evaluation methods.  

For the functioning of the EURES network and the reform as launched in 2016, it is of 
high importance that Member States provide all necessary human and ICT resources 
to  NCOs  to  fulfil  their  tasks,  as  well  as  all  NCO  comply  with  the  transposition  and 
implementation  periods  as  stipulated  by  the  Regulation  while  meeting  the  agreed 
submission dates of reporting, monitoring and other common exercises of the network. 

A review and better integration of EURES-related mobility schemes by the Member 
States, both in terms of the finance mechanism and the programming and joint reporting 
would be beneficial to the entire EURES network and improve the perception of EURES 

26 

 
staff  who  undertake  administrative  tasks.  Moreover,  the  identification  of  labour 
shortages  and  surpluses  in  other  EURES  member  countries  is  an  important  way  to 
support the development of joint recruitment activities within the network. Improvements 
are  possible  through  the  streamlining  of  activities  and  enhanced  cooperation  between 
countries with complementary shortages and surpluses of workers. 

Some  NCOs  have  indicated  that  they,  under  current  arrangements,  cannot  fully 
guarantee the quality of CVs and job vacancies  that are transmitted by new EURES 
Members  and  Partners.  Therefore  NCOs  should  adapt  their  national  IT  systems  more 
quickly and agree on certain quality standards in order to improve data transfer in the 
light of all EU data protection requirements. Member States should also exploit the full 
potential of the EURES-related data to improve and complement their national services, 
e.g. through a more extensive use of EURES APIs.  

The  broadening  of  the  EURES  network  needs  to  be  fostered  by  NCOs  adopting 
appropriate  admission  systems  and  establishing  a  common  code  of  conduct  in  order  to 
increase  the  current  spectrum  of  EURES  Members  and  Partners.  In  addition,  Member 
States  should  strengthen  the  cooperation  within  the  EURES  network  (e.g.  with  other 
NCOs, CBPs, targeted mobility schemes) and continue reaching out to a broad spectrum 
of  EURES  stakeholders  such  as  social  partners,  training  and  education  providers,  and 
other EU information and service networks. 

Member  States  are  encouraged  to  make  full  use  tools  and  guidelines  on  public 
relations and outreach provided by the European level and to mainstream their internal 
and external communication activities on EURES. 

5.3.  Actions to be taken forward by the European Commission  

The  complete  roll-out  and  subsequent  analysis  of  the  Performance  Measurement 
System  and the development of further advanced features on the EURES Portal will 
be key areas of  action for ECO during the next reporting period. ECO should  continue 
providing  guidance  and  advice  to  Member  States  for  the  implementation  of  the 
Regulation  requirements  and  discuss  the  means  by  which  solutions  can  be  found  for 
Member States’ specific situations or administrative arrangements. This could entail the 
provision  of  more  user-friendly  electronic  versions  of  the  EURES  Extranet  and 
reporting  templates.  The  latter  could  for  instance  include  pre-defined  fields  and  drop-
down list sections based on PMS indicators. This would ensure consistency and reduce 
the administrative burden for NCOs, while facilitating the extraction and analysis of data.  

The  alignment  of  admission  systems  and  delivery  of  guidance  material  should  be 
maintained as a priority for ECO during the forthcoming reporting period.  NCOs stress 
their  appreciation  of  the  cooperation  with  ECO,  especially  in  drafting  common 
documents and mutual learning events and call for a continuation of these good practices. 
However, ECO is expected to provide more support to NCOs in raising the profile of the 
EURES brand among jobseekers and employers at national level. This could be achieved 
by  the  re-establishment  of  the  Information  and  Communication  working  group  for 
NCOs  to  exchange  best  practices.  Another  point  of  development  is  synergies  and  the 
reduction  of  overlaps  with  other  Commission  initiatives  and  EU  networks  in  related 
fields, in particular EUROPASS2 and the Single Digital Gateway.   

The integration of cross-border activities and systematic information on activities in 
the  framework  of  CBPs  would  be  useful  for  the  exchange  of  best  practices  and  labour 

27 

 
market  analyses  in  border  regions.  Overall,  there  is  still  a  lack  of  systematic 
information exchange on several aspects of CBP operations, which is being addressed 
through the development of CBP fiches. Guidelines on how best to include CBPs in the 
EURES network and in the PMS would significantly enhance the quality of monitoring 
and data exchanges. 

28 

 
 
 
ANNEX – RELEVANT FIGURES 

Figure 1 – Number of EURES advisers per 100,000 working age (20-64) residents in 2017 

Source: EURES Portal – Single Market Scoreboard 2017 

Figure 2 – Number of EURES advisers and similar staff at EU level in 2017 

Source: ECO – Single Market Scoreboard 2017 

29 

 
 
 
 
 
Table 1 – Jobseekers registered on EURES portal 

EURES country of 
residence 

Jobseekers self-registered on the EURES 
portal (first semester 2018) 

AT 

BE 

BG 

CY 

CZ 

DE 

DK 

EE 

EL 

ES 

FI 

FR 

HR 

HU 

IE 

IS 

IT 

LI 

LT 

LU 

LV 

MT 

NL 

NO 

PL 

PT 

RO 

SE 

SI 

SK 

UK 

2,937* 

6,628 

8,028 

1,372* 

3,958* 

12,453 

1,491* 

1,549* 

1,342 

60,846 

5,257 

17,510 

14,858 

6,776 

2,043* 

401* 

71,476 

4* 

2,688* 

703* 

1,649* 

685* 

4,750 

2,113* 

14,663 

17,250 

17,159 

3,959* 

4,156* 

1,279* 

8,532 

Source: EURES Performance Measurement System report, first semester 2018 and EURES portal (if followed by “*)  

30 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Figure 3 – Main sending countries (with outflows or nationals of more than 50,000) and 
changes compared to 2014 

Country of residence 

Outflow of nationals  

(main sending countries) 

RO 

PL 

UK 

DE 

IT 

ES 

157 (+11%) 

123 (-16%) 

105 (-9%) 

79 (-6%) 

75 (+14%) 

69 (+19%) 

Source: 2017 Annual Report on intra-EU Labour Mobility 

Figure 4 – Composition of intra-EU mobility by different types, EU-28 citizens in the EU-28, 
2016 

Type of mobility 

‘Long-term’ EU-28 movers of working age (20-64 years) living in EU-28 
(Eurostat demography figures) 

Extent 

11.8 million 

(as share of the total working-age population in the EU-2839) 

3.9% 

EU-28 movers of working age living in EU-28** (EU-LFS figures) 

11 million 

…of which active EU-28 movers (employed or looking for work)  

9.1 million 

(as share of the total labour force in the EU-28) 

Cross-border workers (20-64 years)  

(as share of the total employed in the EU-28) 

4% 

1.4 million 

0.6% 

Number of postings40 (of employed and self-employed), (no. of PDs A1)  

2.3 million 

Annual return mobility (20-64 years) (2015)  

(as share of EU-28 nationals leaving their country of origin in 2014) 

614,453 

55% 

Source: 2017 Annual Report on intra-EU Labour Mobility 

39 The total working-age population in the EU-28 in 2016 was 305,883,690.  
40 The number indicates the total number of PDs A1 issued by EU-28 Member States referring to Regulation 883/2004. PDs A1 are 
issued for persons insured in a Member State other than the Member State of (temporary) employment. The number of PDs A1 
is not necessarily equal to the number of posted workers. The total number of PDs A1 in 2016 was approximately two million, 
including the 1.6 million under Article 12 (on posting of employed and self-employed) as well as persons active in two or more 
Member States under Article 13 of Regulation (EC) No 883/2004) (620,185 PDs A1) and to other categories (44,538 PDs A1). 
Note  that  differences  exist  in  the  definition  of  ‘posting’  between  Regulation  (EC)  No  883/2004  and  Regulation  96/71/EC 
(Posting of Workers Directive). 

31 

 
                                                 
Figure 5 – Employment of recent EU-28 movers and nationals by sector, EU-28 aggregate level, 
2016 

Source: 2017 Annual Report on intra-EU Labour Mobility; EU-LFS 2016, Milieu calculation 

32 

 
 
 
 
Figure 6 – Status with regard to the implementation in the Member States of the exchange of job 
vacancies (June 2018) 

33 

 
 
 
 
Figure 7 – Status with regard to the implementation in the Member States of the exchange of CVs 
(June 2018) 

34