At its April plenary session, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) discussed the Talent Mobility Package. This initiative comprises a series of new measures designed to make the Union more attractive to talent from outside the EU, and to facilitate mobility within it.

Guest speaker Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson called for the EESC's support in bringing together the Member States and civil society organisations to embrace this innovation and ensure that there is an effective policy on labour migration.

One of the basic measures in the Talent Mobility Package is the 'Talent Pool' initiative, the first EU-level voluntary matching tool, where interested Member States can bring together EU employers with jobseekers from third countries.

EESC president Oliver Röpke stressed that 'The EU faces severe labour and skills shortages due to the transition to a green and digital economy, and demographic challenges. The talent mobility package can be one instrument among others to alleviate these challenges'.

The European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, called for a Team Europe approach to labour migration with a broader European dimension. 'Labour migration is mainly a national competence and it will continue to be so. But we need to create a Team Europe approach, with EU institutions, Member States and civil society organisations working together to deliver new initiatives and facilitate the implementation of labour mobility policies.'

EESC member Tatjana Babrauskienė, rapporteur for the opinion on the Talent Mobility Package adopted at this plenary, underlined that 'the EU Talent Pool needs to be a practical, easy-to-use and trusted tool that is attractive for workers and employers. At the same time, it has to support fair and ethical legal labour migration'. (at)