Skilled Workers as a Priority of the EU’s Migration Policy

Abstract

In the article, the author refers to the EU Commission’s proposals on promoting legal migration channels to Europe as one of the objectives of the Migration and Asylum Pact. It is emphasized that the Coronavirus pandemic has revealed a shortage of qualified specialists in key areas of the EU economy, both at present and in the future. Two approaches of the Commission are analyzed – the revision of the legal framework for labor migration and the development of new tools for cooperation with the countries of migrants’ origin – «Talent Partnerships» and «Talent Pool». Particular attention is paid to the interinstitutional negotiations on the Blue Card Directive and the resulting compromise. The author recalls that the «Talent Partnerships» initiative was previously implemented in the EU in the form of «pilot projects», but had only a pinpoint impact on the emigration from the partner countries. The reasons for the expected failure of the «Talent Partnerships» are given – reluctance of the most Member States to conclude bilateral agreements with the countries of migrants’ origin and lack of the partner countries’ enthusiasm to support the «brain drain» that partnerships might enhance.

Keywords

• pact on migration and asylum
• skilled workers
• «talents partnership»
• «talent pool»
• «blue card»
• labor market
• digital platform