Keres

Attracting highly qualified immigrants to Europe has been one of the EU's key priorities for several years. However, up until now the EU has not been as successful as other OECD countries. This demand for workers is expected to increase due to the increasing shortage of certain skills and the aging of the EU's population. The proposed directive, which would replace the 2009 Blue Card Directive, increases the attractiveness of the EU highly skilled migration scheme by expanding its scope, lowering ...

The briefing presents an overview of sklls challenges, European and international policy responses. Further, it analyses the three European skills agendas 2010, 2016 and 2020 from a lifelong learning perspective. The note covers aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This study draws primarily on available literature, as well as on information gathered from interviews to examine barriers to employment in border regions. The study first outlines cross-border labour mobility trends and drivers. It then looks at barriers to cross-border labour mobility before assessing measures - including legislation, key programmes and initiatives, and funding structures - adopted at EU-level to address them. The study concludes by presenting a series of recommendations on ways ...

This study attempts to identify and assess policy options for the EU to achieve cyber-resilience, and to develop capabilities, and industrial and technological resources for a trustworthy EU cyberspace, with a view also to promoting core values, such as online privacy protection. The findings could form the basis for an assessment of alternative measures to improve the resilience of the European ICT industry and the EU's strategic decision-making capacity, and enhance the resilience of critical information ...

This note gives an overview of the ten key actions and their current state of implementation. Two Council Recommendations (Upskilling pathways, revision of the European Qualifications Framework) have been adopted in the meantime demonstrating general support together with partially substantial reservations by the Member States. The note has been prepared by Policy Department A to support the resolution by the European Parliament on the New Skills Agenda as well as the upcoming negotiations on the ...

At the European Council meeting of 23 June 2017, European Union Heads of State or Government agreed to strengthen efforts to reduce irregular migration flows on the central Mediterranean route, notably by speeding up training, equipping the Libyan coast guard and improving cooperation with countries of migration origin. However, the European Council made limited progress on reforming the Common European Asylum System, with the migration debate clouded by refusal of some central and eastern European ...

Over one third of the European Union (EU) population – some 170 million citizens – are aged under 30, with half that number under the age of 15 years. Although education policies in the EU are essentially decided and implemented by the individual EU countries, the EU provides sound evidence and analysis to help national governments make informed policy decisions and drive reforms to improve educational outcomes and the employability of young people. For this purpose, in 2009, the EU set a series ...

This note presents key findings of a comprehensive study analysing participation, outcomes, quality and challenges of apprenticeships, internships/traineeships and volunteering schemes. Its focus is on two questions of particular relevance for the Employment and Social Affairs Committee:What are the employment effects of each scheme and to which extent do they show a risk of abusing young people as cheap labour? Further, it discusses different quality frameworks and remaining gaps.

In Estonia, during the recovery from recession, the employment rate increased almost 10 percentage points (p.p.) to the level of almost 77% and the unemployment rate decreased by 10 p.p. to the level on 7%. Active labour market policies played an important role here as Estonia succeeded in adjusting active labour market services to meet the needs of the labour market. As a result, Estonia’s employment rate is one of the highest in the EU and their unemployment rate one of the lowest.

The Impact Assessment makes a convincing case for the need for action to overhaul the current Blue Card Directive. The IA is substantiated by sound and comprehensive research (in the form of 16 annexes) and external expertise, as well as wide consultation taking international immigration systems aiming to attract highly skilled workers into account. Although not all of the options presented appear viable, the European Commission makes a genuine attempt to identify solutions to the problem. The limited ...