BRUSSELS

The European Commission presented on Wednesday a new package to facilitate legal migration, proposing among others to simplify residence and work permit rules for skilled workers.

“Dealing with migration is not only about border checks, asylum procedures and returns, it is also about offering legal pathways for those who can come live and work with us legally,” Margaritis Schinas, the European Commission’s vice-president, said at a news conference.

He stressed that the EU executive body’s new set of proposals offers a win-win situation for the EU that faces a “major shortage” of skilled labor and also for those people who “want to migrate for better opportunities and living conditions.”

“We cannot cope without labor migration,” Schinas pointed out, adding that enabling legal migration is also a way to fight criminal networks of people smugglers.

The package contains legal amendments that would enable applicants to demand a combined residence and work permit instead of two separate procedures.

The draft would also allow submitting the applications both from EU and non-EU countries.

Another amendment would facilitate the conditions for getting a long-term residence permit, allowing non-EU citizens to accumulate years in different EU countries instead of the current system that resets the clock if someone moves from one member state to another.

The European Commission also aims to create a platform called “EU Talent Pool” to match EU countries and job-seekers from non-EU countries, as well as partnerships with countries.

The pilot program would start in the summer with the participation of Ukrainian refugees.

The EU will also launch programs inviting healthcare workers, young professionals, and innovative startups.

The European Parliament and EU member states have yet to approve the drafts.

The new announcement follows up on the European Commission’s New Pact on Migration and Asylum.

Revealed in September 2020, the pact mainly focused on returns, pre-entry checks, and partnerships with third countries to prevent migration flows.

The pact has not been adopted since because the European Parliament and EU member states are still working on their position.