Brussels, 14/07/2011 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament (EP) civil liberties committee, on Wednesday 13 July, adopted the report by Véronique Mathieu (EPP, France) on a single residence and work permit for long-stay non-EU nationals, thereby endorsing the agreement reached with the Council on 29 June. The proposal, which still has to be passed by the EP plenary session, aims to cut red tape for non-EU nationals by introducing a single procedure for residence and work permits in all 27 member states.
Under the terms of the agreement, states will have to deliver or reject applications for the single residence and work permit within four months of submission. Member states will be able to include additional information on the contract of employment (remuneration, hours to be worked, etc) to combat exploitation of third country nationals and illegal work. This information may be set out in a separate paper or electronic document.
Non-EU workers will be able to transfer their pension rights under the same conditions as nationals (leaving for a third country) of the member state where they worked. The principle of equal treatment obtains, too, for vocational training, access to advice from employment services, access to housing, health, wages and the right of association and of affiliation to a trade union. Some social security and family policy restrictions will apply, however, to short-term workers. In a press release, the rapporteur welcomed the vote, hailing it as “a first step towards a common European policy on economic migration”. (S.P./transl.rt)