Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee – Enhancing legal and organised labour migration to the EU (own-initiative opinion)
Date: 2025-06-18
Institutions: European Economic and Social Committee
Subjects: EU employment policy, EU migration policy, labour market, migrant, migrant worker, migration control, professional qualifications, residence permit, third country, work permit








C_202504204EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2025/4204


20.8.2025






Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee
Enhancing legal and organised labour migration to the EU
(own-initiative opinion)
(C/2025/4204)


Rapporteur: 
Thomas WAGNSONNER






Advisors


Karol ZABAWA (to the Group II rapporteur)
Robert PLUMMER (to Group I)




Plenary Assembly decision


5.12.2024




Legal basis


Rule 52(2) of the Rules of Procedure




Referral


Own-initiative opinion




Section responsible


Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship




Adopted in section


22.5.2025




Adopted at plenary session


18.6.2025




Plenary session No


597




Outcome of vote
(for/against/abstentions)


181/0/4




1.   Conclusions and recommendations









1.1.


The EESC underlines that the promotion of legal and organised labour migration to the EU and related EU policies and instruments must be based on human rights, the rule of law, the integration of third-country nationals (TCNs) into the labour market and their role in meeting the EU’s labour and skills needs, respect for the EU’s common values and compliance with binding international legal instruments relevant to migration and human and labour rights (1).












1.2.


The EESC calls for a balanced approach between the EU and the countries of origin (CoOs) in all current and future migration frameworks and stresses the importance of mitigating the risk of brain drain by creating enabling conditions for economic growth and decent jobs in CoOs, including through the role played by the EU’s cohesion policy. The EESC calls for the institutionalised involvement of social partners on both sides, in line with national circumstances and practices, in order to identify opportunities, risks and challenges for domestic labour markets, and for them to become part of a robust monitoring framework for all bilateral labour migration agreements.












1.2.1.


The introduction of pre and post-departure training, with social and professional integration and skills development programmes in CoOs accommodating a certain percentage of workers staying in their home countries in order to promote social and economic development, can be an effective way to mitigate the risk of brain drain. Such trainings should be a feature of the EU’s Talent Partnerships (TP) initiative and mobility schemes. The EESC highlights the TP between Italy and Egypt.












1.2.2.


The EESC calls for increased support for training centres in CoOs to deliver training aligned with labour market needs benefiting domestic and EU labour markets. To ensure sustainable development benefits and avoid ad hoc measures, such trainings should be integrated into national education systems. Recruitment also needs to take into account marginalised groups such as young people not in employment, education or training (NEETs), which can alleviate pressure on CoOs while meeting EU labour market needs effectively.












1.3.


A functioning reintegration system must be part of effective ‘brain circulation’ schemes. Circular migration (2) programmes have to secure the rights of migrant workers in the countries of destination (CoDs), taking into account the recently revised EU Single Permit Directive.












1.4.


It is essential to promote equal rights for migrant workers from third countries across all skill levels. Measures should enhance their protection throughout the migration cycle, including accessible pre-departure and post-arrival information, orientation and training, and legal access for complaints and redress. Rights such as freedom of association, collective bargaining and access to healthcare, housing, education and training in the CoD, must be ensured. Employers must also receive adequate information when recruiting TCNs.












1.5.


International skills and mobility partnerships can strengthen domestic labour markets, matching labour supply and demand, transferring skills at all levels and maximising ‘brain gain’, while addressing ‘brain drain’ and increasing competitiveness and growth for CoOs and CoDs.












1.5.1.


The EESC points out that, at present, a common framework and transparency in the negotiations for the Talent Partnerships (3) (TPs) is lacking. Subsequently, the EESC calls on the Commission to present an action plan outlining the next steps for the TPs, lessons learned from ongoing and past projects and policies to enhance coherence and facilitate smooth mobility. It also underlines the importance of robust, clear and binding identification, selection and assessment criteria that support human and labour rights in the partner countries for current and future TPs.












1.6.


The EESC welcomes the Communication on the Union of Skills (4), especially the launch of Multipurpose Legal Gateway Offices and the commitment to improve recognition of the qualifications of TCNs. The EESC urges the Commission to seize the opportunity to address all skill levels in the proposed presentation of the Visa Strategy and the revision of the Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion.












1.7.


To ensure that migrant workers are recruited fairly and ethically, procedures should be in line with the ILO General Principles and Operational Guidelines for Fair Recruitment (5) and the Fair Recruitment Initiative (6). The EESC suggests assessing the need to strengthen the due diligence and joint liability mechanisms of private employment and recruitment agencies and notes that members of the World Employment Confederation subscribe to a code of conduct (7) that promotes ethical and professional standards in employment services. The EESC calls for strong protection for vulnerable groups (e.g. women, young workers, workers with disabilities) and suggests assessing the need for specific measures for fraud-sensitive sectors and sectors with a high risk of labour exploitation.












1.8.


The EU needs to mobilise all available labour, while enhancing migration policy to attract and retain skilled workers in a complementary way. The EESC calls for prioritising the activation of the EU’s domestic labour force to meet long-term labour market needs and shortages, focusing on under-mobilised groups such as young people, people with disabilities, women, refugees and migrants, while recognising that in specific cases the interests of companies to fill urgent vacancies with migrant workers must be respected.




2.   Background









2.1.


The scope of this opinion is confined to an analysis of labour migration (employed workers from third countries), excluding seasonal and posted workers, students and researchers. The focus lies on the external dimension of labour migration by assessing the impact of current policies and legislation on third countries and migrant workers and is motivated by several EESC opinions, the most recent ones being SOC/794 (8), SOC/786 (9) and SOC/733 (10).












2.2.


The Commission’s 2025 work programme (11) does not address legal and organised labour migration sufficiently and focuses solely on the topic of migration in the context of European defence and security. The EESC stresses the need to separate the narratives of labour migration from the security agenda.












2.3.


The Communication on the Union of Skills, published in March 2025, emphasises the importance of attracting and integrating talent from third countries by improving recognition of qualifications and reinforcing cooperation with partner countries. The EESC welcomes the Communication, in particular the launch of Multipurpose Legal Gateway Offices in partner countries and the commitment to improve recognition of the skills of TCNs, the new Visa Strategy and the review of the EU Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion. The EESC urges the Commission to address all skill levels in the proposed Visa Strategy and the revision of the Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion and to include specific measures against brain drain.












2.4.


The New Pact on Migration and Asylum (12) seeks to regulate legal migration and legal pathways and build tailor-made and mutually beneficial partnerships with third countries (see SOC/649 (13)). Such a framework for improving coordination of the relevant EU policies with third countries must be based on the rule of law, the labour market integration of TCNs and their role in helping to address the EU’s labour and skills needs and compliance with binding international legal instruments relevant to migration and human and labour rights.












2.5.


The Commission presented the Skills and Talent Mobility Package (14) and the Communication on Skills and Talent Mobility (15) aiming to recast the Single Permit Directive (16) and the Long-Term Residence Directive (17), develop TPs with key partner countries and create an EU Talent Pool (18).












2.6.


The EESC welcomes the adoption of the recast of the Single Permit Directive and calls for ambitious and timely implementation.












2.7.


The recast of the Long-Term Residence Directive is currently awaiting its first reading in the Parliament plenary. The EESC encourages the EU institutions to reach an agreement on this Directive and advocates to shorten the period required to obtain long-term resident status, as called for in the Parliament’s resolution on legal migration policy and law (19).












2.8.


The EESC welcomes the EU Talent Pool and reiterates the need to provide workers in the pool with all the information they require to acquire work and residence permits and access to health care, housing, and further education and training in the CoD. It is also important that employers have access to the necessary information on the employment of TCNs and related visa processes.












2.9.


International skills and mobility partnership models can contribute to the development of domestic labour markets, balancing labour supply and demand and maximising ‘brain gain’, while addressing ‘brain drain’ and increasing competitiveness and growth on both sides.












2.10.


TPs are a key tool of the New Pact on Migration and aim to provide a framework for enhanced cooperation on talent and skills mobility between the EU and its Member States and selected partner countries (20), focusing on developing countries. This framework shall combine work and training mobility schemes with capacity building in human capital, skills development, vocational education and training (VET) and work-based exchange programmes. TPs should be mutually beneficial for the education systems and economic development in the partner countries and address skills shortages in economic sectors of the Member States and can be a useful way to foster the recognition of qualifications between participating Member States and third countries.




3.   General comments









3.1.


The EESC notes that, according to the legal migration fitness check (21), the EU legal labour migration system suffers from inherent shortcomings, including fragmentation between national and EU-level frameworks, gaps and overlaps in the personal scope of directives and multi-layered and sometimes restrictive legislative and administrative procedures. The variability of recognition and visa procedures, resulting in administrative burdens, lengthy procedures and high costs for all concerned, is another obstacle that is particularly difficult for SMEs.












3.2.


The EESC welcomes the efforts to enhance legal and organised migration to the EU and underlines the need for further harmonisation of terminology, clarification of concepts and streamlining of procedures, visa regimes and permit systems, as well as timely and transparent requirements and processes, while respecting Member State competence, notably as concerns volumes of admission.












3.3.


The EU needs to mobilise all available labour, while enhancing migration policy to attract and retain skilled workers in a complementary way. The EESC calls for priority to be given to the activation of the EU’s domestic labour force in order to meet long-term labour market needs and current shortages, focusing on under-mobilised groups such as young people, women, people with disabilities, refugees and migrants.












3.4.


The EESC calls for a balanced approach in enhancing legal labour migration, considering the risks and benefits for third countries and the risk of brain drain. It calls for measures mitigating negative impacts on developing countries losing skilled workers through labour migration, like strategies to strengthen VET systems in the CoO and supporting enabling conditions for economic growth, boosting investment, creating decent jobs and fostering human development in developing countries (22). Additionally, the EESC highlights the importance of coherent national policies in CoOs across labour migration, employment and education to promote ‘brain circulation’, ensuring that labour migration supports sustainable development and benefits all parties involved.












3.4.1.


The EESC calls for the institutionalised involvement of CSOs and social partners in the EU, in the Member States and in partner countries, in line with national circumstances and practices, in order to identify opportunities, risks and challenges for domestic labour markets and pursue targeted cooperation with countries in sectors where labour demand in CoDs and labour supply in CoOs are complementary. It is important to have an appropriate and robust monitoring framework in place for all bilateral labour migration agreements – which includes a space for CSOs and social partners.












3.4.2.


Introducing pre- and post-departure training, including social and professional integration and skills development programmes in CoOs, can help to reduce the risk of brain drain. These programmes must accommodate a certain share of workers staying in their CoOs in order to promote social and economic development, in line with the Global Skills Partnerships (23) and the IOM Skills Mobility Partnerships (24). Recruitment also needs to take into account marginalised groups such as NEETs. This approach eases the burden on CoOs, and aligns migration with sustainable development, while addressing the needs of the EU labour market at the same time.












3.4.3.


The EESC calls for increased support for training centres in CoOs to provide relevant, high-quality training services that meet labour market needs and prepare individuals for the domestic and EU labour market. This support should be integrated into national education and training systems to achieve long-term development benefits.












3.5.


To ensure that migrant workers are recruited fairly and ethically, procedures should be in line with the ILO General Principles and Operational Guidelines for Fair Recruitment and the Fair Recruitment Initiative. Recruitment should be conducted in a manner that respects, protects and fulfils human rights and relevant international labour standards.












3.6.


A functioning reintegration system as set out in SOC/694 (25) must be part of effective brain circulation schemes. Circular migration programmes have to secure the rights of migrant workers in the CoD, especially regarding residence and work permits, while they move between their CoO and the CoD, taking into account the recently revised EU Single Permit Directive.












3.7.


The EESC underlines that international recruitment practices to an EU Member State need to be conducted in a fair and ethical way on the basis of equal treatment and therefore calls for an assessment of the risks regarding wage and social dumping. Enhanced legal and organised labour migration must not lead to worse working conditions and/or lower wages.












3.8.


In order to prevent overqualification (26), facilitate the mobility of professionals, improve opportunities for jobseekers and ensure decent employment for migrant workers, qualification systems need to be transparent and easy to understand. The recognition of qualifications should be supported by establishing operational cooperation between competent bodies in the CoD and the CoO and by introducing skills development programmes based on workplace requirements. The provision of timely information and targeted matching, such as in the case of the EU Talent Pool, will significantly help migrant workers and employers.












3.9.


The EESC calls for streamlined procedures for the recognition of the qualifications of TCNs. Their qualifications should be assessed and recognised swiftly and transparently, whether or not documentation is available. These processes should be developed in cooperation with social partners at national level and with relevant international and EU stakeholders, taking into account established national practices and the European Commission Recommendation on the recognition of third country qualifications.












3.10.


It is essential to promote equal rights for migrant workers from third countries across all skill levels. This includes improving services to protect migrant workers throughout the migration cycle, including pre-departure/post-arrival information in an accessible language and format, orientation and training, and access to legal mechanisms, including the ability to pursue complaints and obtain redress, as well as freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining. To achieve a more coordinated horizontal approach across Member States while respecting national competences, the EESC calls on the Commission to consider enshrining reasonable core principles in all legal labour mobility schemes, including working conditions and wages, education and training, access to goods and services and, especially, adequate housing and social security.












3.11.


The EESC underlines the importance of social cohesion and inclusion as driving forces for creating a welcoming environment and conditions for diverse and peaceful societies.




4.   Specific comments









4.1.


The Talent Partnerships currently lack an adequate common framework, transparency in negotiations and evaluation mechanisms and instruments to identify participating countries. To address these issues and avoid a fragmented framework, the EESC calls on the Commission to present an action plan setting out the future steps. This plan should include the lessons learned from ongoing and past projects, and suggest policies that promote coherence and easy mobility.












4.1.1.


The EESC emphasises the EU’s dedication to upholding human and labour rights in its external relations. It is crucial that cooperation with partner countries in current and future TPs and other mobility schemes includes clear and binding evaluation and selection criteria that prioritise human and labour rights in the partner countries.












4.1.2.


All relevant stakeholders, including CSOs and social partners, must be structurally and continuously involved in a well-defined monitoring, risk mitigation and quality assurance mechanism that is in line with national circumstances and practices. One-stop shops at national level and specialised migrant worker advisory networks receiving secure EU funding could play a key role in providing information and advice to TCNs.












4.1.3.


It is crucial to establish systemic cooperation between the national education sectors and the labour markets. Support for VET and skills development stakeholders, including social partners in CoOs, needs to be promoted to improve their capacity to link training to the labour market, assess and report on labour market needs and shortages and develop dialogue mechanisms.












4.1.4.


The EESC calls for an analysis of good practice examples of international labour mobility partnerships and highlights the TP between Italy and Egypt (27).












4.2.


Jobseekers from third countries should not incur any costs when participating in the EU Talent Pool or being recruited under a TP. Employers should not charge a recruitment fee or costs for travel, work equipment and accommodation. The EESC suggests assessing the need to strengthen the due diligence and joint liability mechanisms of private employment and recruitment agencies and notes that members of the World Employment Confederation subscribe to a code of conduct that promotes ethical and professional standards in employment services.












4.3.


The EESC calls for strong protection for vulnerable groups (e.g. women, young workers, workers with disabilities) and an assessment of the need for specific measures for fraud-sensitive sectors and sectors with a high risk of labour exploitation.












4.4.


The EESC notes that the revised Single Permit Directive, notably the provision to change employer, gives more freedom to individuals while supporting job matching and, if single permit holders lose their job after two years, they will have six months to find a new one to qualify them for a permit renewal. However, migrant workers should not be unduly tied to specific employers and if recruited under an EU or national labour migration programme, these workers should have privileged access to public employment services.












4.5.


The EESC calls for the possibility of family reunification to be considered for labour migrants recruited through a labour mobility scheme.












4.6.


The EESC notes that the legal text of the Blue Card Directive does not include measures to combat the brain drain from developing countries.












4.7.


The benefits of legal labour migration models for partner countries should not be limited to remittances. The EESC calls for a comprehensive and coherent approach that balances the interests of the EU and its partner countries.






Brussels, 18 June 2025.


The President


of the European Economic and Social Committee

Oliver RÖPKE
               





(1)  
            IMPROVING HUMAN RIGHTS-BASED GOVERNANCE OF INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION (see page 15).

(2)  
            Definition of circular migration.

(3)  
            EC Talent Partnerships.

(4)  
            COM(2025) 90 final.

(5)  
            ILO General principles and operational guidelines for fair recruitment.

(6)  
            ILO Fair Recruitment Initiative.

(7)  
            World Employment Confederation Code of Conduct.

(8)  Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee – Factual and legislative analysis for an effective integration of third country nationals (TCNs) in the EU labour market (own-initiative opinion) (OJ C, C/2025/764, 11.2.2025, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2025/764/oj).

(9)  Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee – Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on Skills and Talent Mobility (COM(2023) 715 final) – Proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing an EU talent pool (COM(2023) 716 final – 2023/0404 (COD)) – Proposal for a Council recommendation Europe on the Move – learning mobility opportunities for everyone (COM(2023) 719 final) – Commission recommendation on the recognition of qualifications of third-country nationals (C(2023) 7700 final) (OJ C, C/2024/4067, 12.7.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2024/4067/oj).

(10)  Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on Proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the status of third-country nationals who are long-term residents (COM(2022) 650 – final) – Proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on a single application procedure for a single permit for third-country nationals to reside and work in the territory of a Member State and on a common set of rights for third-country workers legally residing in a Member State (COM(2022) 655 – final) – Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions – Attracting skills and talent to the EU (COM(2022) 657 – final) (
OJ C 75, 28.2.2023, p. 136).

(11)  
            COM(2025) 45 final.

(12)  Regulation (EU) 2024/1351 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 May 2024 on asylum and migration management, amending Regulations (EU) 2021/1147 and (EU) 2021/1060 and repealing Regulation (EU) No 604/2013 (OJ L, 2024/1351, 22.5.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1351/oj).

(13)  Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on a new Pact on Migration and Asylum (COM(2020) 609 final) (
OJ C 123, 9.4.2021, p. 15).

(14)  
            COM(2022) 657 final.

(15)  
            COM(2023) 715 final.

(16)  Directive (EU) 2024/1233 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 April 2024 on a single application procedure for a single permit for third-country nationals to reside and work in the territory of a Member State and on a common set of rights for third-country workers legally residing in a Member State (recast) (OJ L, 2024/1233, 30.4.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2024/1233/oj).

(17)  
            COM(2022) 650 final.

(18)  
            COM(2023) 716 final.

(19)  
            European Parliament resolution on legal migration policy and law (2020/2255(INL).

(20)  Currently Bangladesh, Egypt, Morocco, Pakistan and Tunisia (assessments for Nigeria and Senegal).

(21)  
            Legal Migration Fitness Check.

(22)  
            ILO R195 - Human Resources Development Recommendation, 2004 (No. 195), Art. 21.

(23)  
            https://gsp.cgdev.org/.

(24)  
            IOM Skills Mobility Partnerships.

(25)  Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council – The EU strategy on voluntary return and reintegration (COM(2021) 120 final) (
OJ C 517, 22.12.2021, p. 86).

(26)  A situation where an individual has a higher qualification – in terms of type, level or work experience – than their current job requires.

(27)  See ANNEX to SOC/824-EESC-2025-00142-00-00 (only in EN).


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2025/4204/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)