The European Parliament’s Committees on Culture and Education (CULT) and Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) adopted, on Wednesday 19 February, their opinions on the regulation establishing an EU talent pool. The European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties is responsible for the substance of this issue of legal migration.
The European ‘talent pool’ would provide a platform to facilitate the recruitment of workers from third countries to fill labour shortages in Europe. While the opinion of the CULT Committee supports guarantees for workers’ rights and the fairness of the system, the EMPL Committee has validated the inclusion of temporary employment agencies within the scope of the project.
The text tabled by Nela Riehl (Greens/EFA, German) in the CULT Committee was adopted by 22 votes to 5, with no abstentions. As the majority of the political groups stated that the text adopted during the 9th mandate was still relevant, it was voted for as a bloc by roll call.
The MEPs on the CULT Committee insist on the recognition of skills, whether acquired through formal, non-formal or informal learning.
The CULT Committee also supports the development of ‘micro-credentials’ and the integration of training modules to encourage the professional development of registered workers.
The protection of personal data is also central. The anonymisation of sensitive information (name, nationality, gender, age) is encouraged in order to avoid discrimination in recruitment.
The opinion calls for easier access for people with the necessary qualifications and skills who are vulnerable to exclusion.
Finally, the CULT Committee warns of the risk of a brain drain and recommends guaranteeing fair working conditions and monitoring the impact on the economies of the countries of origin.
Including temporary employment agencies. The MEPs of Parliament’s Committee on Employment and Social Affairs adopted their opinion by 39 votes to 12, with one abstention.
However, contrary to what the construction and woodworkers’ unions had wanted (see EUROPE 13576/18), the amended opinion tabled by Marianne Vind (S&D, Danish) does provide for the talent pool to provide services to employers established in the participating Member States, including private employment agencies, temporary work agencies and labour market intermediaries.
Nor does the opinion contain any strong provisions on sanctions against employers who may abuse the people they recruit.
This regulation applies to jobseekers with all levels of skills and qualifications from third countries residing outside the EU and to employers, including SMEs, established in the participating Member States.
The Member States had adopted their mandate in June 2024. Under this mandate, participation in the EU talent pool will be voluntary and Member States will now be able to choose the entities participating in the talent pool. They will also be authorised to withdraw from the reserve by notifying the Commission of their decision six months before their withdrawal.
Links to the opinions of the EMPL and CULT committees: https://aeur.eu/f/fkm ; https://aeur.eu/f/fl2 (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic and Nithya Paquiry)