Council and European Parliament agree to establish a platform for non-EU jobseekers (‘EU Talent Pool’)
The Danish presidency of the Council of the EU and the European Parliament have concluded negotiations on an EU law establishing an EU Talent Pool. The Talent Pool will be an EU-wide digital platform to facilitate international recruitment in sectors where EU member states experience shortages. It will be voluntary for member states to participate in the EU Talent Pool.
The online platform will match job vacancies of employers established in the EU with the profiles of non-EU jobseekers residing outside of the EU. The objective of the EU Talent Pool is to make the EU labour market more competitive and to tackle labour market shortages. The right of entry into the EU and the issuance of a residence permit are not regulated by the EU Talent Pool regulation.
The EU Talent Pool will provide comprehensive and adequate information to non-EU jobseekers in order to allow them to better navigate the recruitment process in member states and to inform them of their rights, in particular with regard to decent working conditions.
Jobseekers from outside the EU will be able to create a profile on the EU Talent Pool platform and provide information about their skills, qualifications, work experience and language skills.
In defending the Council’s mandate, the Danish presidency has focused on avoiding imposing disproportionate administrative burdens on member states, whilst at the same time ensuring there is a strong framework to prevent the participation of employers who do not comply with relevant law and practice.
Immigration procedures
Jobseekers who receive a job offer through the EU Talent Pool will have to go through the national immigration procedures when applying for residence and work permits in a member state.
The EU Talent Pool platform will also contain comprehensive information on immigration procedures such as how to obtain visas and work residence permits, including the conditions that have to be fulfilled in order to obtain such permits.
Safeguards against fraud, abuse and exploitation
The Council and Parliament want to make sure that only legitimate employers can advertise on the EU Talent Pool platform. It has been a high priority for the co-legislators to establish the strongest possible framework to prevent labour exploitation of non-EU nationals. With the strengthened safeguards, the EU Talent Pool will not only facilitate the recruitment of international workers, it will also ensure a high degree of transparency with regard to employers using the platform to prevent employers who do not comply with relevant legislation from recruiting via the platform.
Member states will for instance check employers who want to use the Talent Pool against a registry of companies that have been suspended, permanently excluded or whose access to the platform has been refused. Furthermore, the participating employers must be established in a participating member state where the non-EU jobseekers will be working.
Next steps
Today’s agreement will have to be confirmed by both institutions before being formally adopted.
