Launched in June 2021, the “Partnerships to attract talent” initiative aims to help address skills shortages in many key sectors in the EU and “strengthen mutually beneficial partnerships on migration with third countries “.
As part of the implementation of this initiative, the European Executive has thus announced its “intention, on the basis of strong and continuous cooperation on all aspects of migration management within the framework of the new pact on migration and asylum, to launch the first talent partnerships with Maghreb partners, in particular Morocco, Egypt and Tunisia, so that their implementation can start by the end of 2022”.
The Commission explained that the work on talent partnerships will build on successful pilot projects developed with these partners, broadening their scope and level of ambition, while accompanying them with a broader framework of cooperation, define with Member States and partner countries and by mobilizing all relevant stakeholders in the process.
In a second step, it plans to start assessing the feasibility of launching talent partnerships with Pakistan, Bangladesh, Senegal and Nigeria, as one of the key components of cooperation on migration management with those countries
Concretely, the EC proposes to set up a European talent pool, the first EU-wide platform and matching tool, in order to make the latter more attractive for third-country nationals looking for opportunities and help employers find the talent they need.
On the other hand, the Commission says it is studying the possibilities of new channels for legal migration to the EU in the medium and long term. She sees value in focusing on forward-looking policies in three areas of action: care, youth and innovation.
