The recast of the Long-Term Resident and Single Permit Directives: Towards Added Value At Last?
07 Friday Oct 2022
by Jean-Baptiste Farcy, Attorney at the Brussels Bar (Altea) and Teaching Assistant at the University of Gent.
The rationale behind an EU-wide labour immigration policy is well-known: Europe has an ageing population and labour market shortages are growing in some sectors of the economy where the local workforce cannot meet the demand of employers. According to the European Commission, activating and upskilling the domestic workforce would not be sufficient to address existing and forecasted shortages. Attracting and retaining skills and talents would therefore foster the competitiveness of the EU economy. Additionally, legal pathways would improve the overall migration management and may, to some extent, reduce irregular migration.