On Wednesday 3 May, Member States’ experts will discuss a new compromise document on the revision of the directive on long-term third country nationals.
The amendments relate to Chapters 3 and 4 of the Directive, including the right of a long-term resident in one Member State to reside in another Member State, for example in order to pursue an economic activity.
The text therefore proposes that where the long-term resident in the EU is engaged in an employed or self-employed economic activity, Member States “Member States may examine the situation of their labour market and apply their national procedures regarding the requirements for, respectively, filling a vacancy”.
Member States may give preference to EU or third country nationals who are already legally resident and receiving unemployment benefits.
Another change is that Member States may indicate “a certain sum as a reference amount, but they may not impose a minimum income level, below which all applications for EU long-term resident status would be refused”. They could also request that the long-term resident is able to provide appropriate accommodation for him/her and his/her family.
The Swedish Presidency also issued a discussion paper explaining why it proposes to reintroduce the provision in the Directive allowing Member States to examine the situation of their labour market before a long-term EU resident is allowed to move to work there. However, the principle of quotas will remain abolished.
“Several Member States have raised concerns and pointed out that unemployed persons (nationals, EU-nationals, or third country nationals) already living in the Member State in question should have priority to available jobs”, the note explains.
Link to documents: https://aeur.eu/f/6mf ; https://aeur.eu/f/6mg (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)