This conference aims to facilitate discussion among authorities and experts on labour migration and the response to labour market needs through sustainable and effective migration policies on a national and EU level. Selected institutions and experts will address the labour market trends and workforce needs in Cyprus and the EU, the challenges and opportunities of legal migration pathways for Cyprus, and EU best practices.
29/09/2025
The Flemish government has decided that third-country workers – from outside the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland – will follow a mandatory tailored integration trajectory from 2027. The initiative, proposed by Minister Hilde Crevits, will be delivered digitally and can be started in the country of origin or within six months of arrival in Flanders. The programme provides essential information on work, rights and responsibilities, and Flemish norms and values. Certain temporary or seasonal workers, students, and holiday-work participants are excluded.
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19/09/2025
Myria, the Federal Migration Centre, has published a thematic report on economic migration, free movement and students as part of its annual report "Migration in figures and rights 2025". The publication explains trends in labour migration and study-related mobility. It shows that labour migration from outside the EU has slightly decreased, the share of third-country nationals among temporary postings has continued to grow, and student numbers are increasing.
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06/09/2025
This ad hoc query aims to map the processing times of work-based residence permits across EMN Member and Observer Countries, including the collection of statistics on such processing times and the existence of fast-track procedures for certain categories of employees.
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04/09/2025
The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty, warns that externalised asylum and migration policies must be carefully designed to avoid serious human rights risks. His report highlights how transferring asylum, return, and border control functions to other countries can expose migrants to torture, arbitrary detention, and collective expulsions. Particular risks arise in the external processing of asylum claims, return procedures including “return hubs,” and outsourcing of border control. The Commissioner calls on states to adopt precautionary approaches, safeguard vulnerable people, and ensure transparency and accountability.
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07/08/2025
This ad hoc query compares the existence, type, and scope of bilateral or multilateral agreements on labour mobility between EMN Member and Observer Countries and non-EU/EEA countries, including whether they target general or sector-specific mobility, contain protection provisions, and provide monitoring or evaluation mechanisms.
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27/06/2025
Nearly one in eight self-employed workers in Belgium do not hold Belgian nationality. This proportion rises to more than four in ten in the Brussels-Capital Region. An analysis of recent data from the National Institute for Social Security of the Self-Employed (INASTI) by the social insurance fund Acerta highlights these figures. The study also reveals differences in age, sector activity, and income between Belgian and non-Belgian self-employed individuals.
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16/04/2025
This conference will explore the role labour migration might play in addressing labour market shortages in the Netherlands and the broader European context, while considering both the benefits and the challenges it brings. Participants will look at case studies and delve into concrete examples from other EU Member States, and explore various approaches to managing labour migration. Policymakers and experts will engage in this dialogue to examine the diverse policy choices that might shape the future of labour migration policies.
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Improving the Economic Migration Framework to Attract and Retain Qualified Talent in Flanders (OECD)
01/03/2025
This report provides a diagnosis of the strengths and weaknesses of the Flemish framework for management of economic migration and recommendations for possible areas of reform. The report also presents some of the first empirical analyses of retention and outcomes of economic migrants in Flanders.
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27/02/2025
This joint European Migration Network (EMN) – OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) Inform provides an overview of innovative initiatives to attract foreign talent between January 2021 and March 2024 by EMN Member Countries and selected non-EU OECD member countries. It also analyses whether and how EMN Member Countries monitor the effectiveness of these initiatives and identify related challenges and good practices.
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19/02/2025
This European Migration Network (EMN) study documents the illegal employment of third-country nationals in EMN Member Countries between 2017-2022. It includes an up-to-date analysis of key legislative and policy frameworks and practices to prevent, identify and tackle the illegal employment of third-country nationals, including beneficiaries of temporary protection. It also provides examples of challenges and good practices.
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29/01/2025
The European Commission has developed a new interactive tool to map labour migration pathways across the 27 EU Member States. It helps to visualise the 290 pathways that were active at the time of the research and updated to February 2024.
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19/12/2024
In a recent judgment, the Court of Justice of the European Union stated that a Member State cannot exclude from the benefit of family allowances a foreign worker whose children, born in a third country, cannot prove that they have entered its territory lawfully.
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03/10/2024
This conference, organised jointly by EMN Estonia and IOM Estonia, focuses on labour shortages in the EU. It will offer insights into sustainable strategies to balance local labour demands while remaining competitive and attractive to migrant workers.
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03/12/2024
This ad hoc query maps the schemes in place across EMN Member and Observer Countries to issue residence permits for so-called “digital nomads”, or persons who work remotely for an employer registered outside of their country of residence. Emphasis is placed on the issue of the use of forged documents in the applications for such permits.
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30/11/2024
This ad hoc query examines national regulations and practices concerning the employment of third-country nationals during short stays or visa-free stays, as well as the procedures in place to issue long-stay D-visas for the purpose of employment.
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26/11/2024
On 26 November 2024, the European Commission launched a new programme to support a Talent Partnership between the EU and Pakistan. The programme, that is funded with EUR 3 million from the EU, will enable the EU, its Member States, and Pakistan to develop a coherent set of actions on labour mobility and skills development.
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11/10/2024
This conference is dedicated to exploring how to maximize the benefits of external cooperation in the field of migration. A wide range of national and international experts, including policymakers from EU and non-EU countries, practitioners and researchers, will engage in discussions around the challenges and components of effective migration partnerships, exploring opportunities for balanced as well as comprehensive cooperation and innovative approaches.
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15/11/2024
This Inform by the European Migration Network (EMN), in collaboration with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), sheds light on the role of migration diplomacy in fostering international cooperation for effective migration management. It highlights the diplomatic tools, practices, and challenges involved in migration diplomacy across EMN Member and Observer countries with examples from OECD countries.
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01/11/2024
This country report for Belgium prepared in the frame of the POSTING.STAT 2.0 project, examines the characteristics, the scale, and the impact of intra-EU posting from and to Belgium as well as the characteristics and the scale of infringements which are related to it.
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26/07/2024
EMN Italy organises a national conference laying focus on attracting international talent and skilled labor and on fostering co-development between Member States and third countries. Through an exchange of experiences and best practices, the legal framework and challenges in this matter will be discussed.
21/10/2024
On 21 October 2024, the European Ombudsman closed her inquiry on respect for human rights in the context of the EU-Tunisia Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). She concluded, inter alia, that the Commission should set out the criteria on which the suspension of contracts due to violations of human rights in the implementation of EU-funded projects in Tunisia would be based. These criteria should be made public.
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17/10/2024
This ad hoc query examines whether the legislation of the responding EMN Member Countries allows employment agencies to hire third-country nationals on behalf of their clients. Where this is allowed, the query further investigates the legal framework that enables it, as well as how these agencies are monitored and what restrictions are in place to prevent potential misuse.
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06/10/2024
This ad hoc query examines whether the EMN Member Countries implement a labour market test to regulate the employment of third-country nationals. Where a labour market test is implemented, details are provided on the procedure, the exemptions, the criteria for a negative decision, and the possible challenges.
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06/10/2024
This ad hoc query collects information on national regulations and practices regarding third-country national posted workers, with a focus on additional conditions for the hiring of posted workers (e.g. need to submit a motivated notification to extend the period of employment, sector-specific requirements etc.) and measures to facilitate recruitment in specific sectors or occupations.