Talent Partnerships

Announced in the Pact on Migration and Asylum, Talent Partnerships have a dual objective: to boost international labour mobility at all skills levels in a mutually beneficial way, and contribute to a wider migration management, including by improving cooperation on return and readmission.

In a Team Europe approach, the Commission together with the EU Member States has launched Talent Partnerships with Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

The objectives and components of each partnership have been defined during dedicated Talent Partnership Roundtables with partner countries. Talent Partnerships focus on the sectors of common interest jointly identified by the EU Member States and partner countries.

Objectives

• To engage with non-EU partner countries strategically on migration management;
• To create mutually beneficial partnerships to boost international labour mobility;
• To address the EU's and partner countries' labour and skills needs, boosting global competitiveness and addressing demographic changes.

How Talent Partnerships work

Talent Partnerships are based on dialogues between EU Member States, the European Commission and other relevant services or agencies and partner countries, including the private sector.

A structured framework for cooperation:

Talent Partnerships provide a structured framework for cooperation, bringing together the EU and its Member States, partner countries, employers and all relevant actors during the annual Talent Partnership Roundtables with each partner country. The partnerships are tailor-made and focus on the jointly agreed objectives included in the Roadmaps for each Talent Partnership. These Roadmaps also include an overview of the activities contributing to the agreed objectives. Examples of activities include:

• Providing capacity-building assistance to partner countries, including labour market and skills intelligence, bringing job offers and demands closer together;
• Supporting capacity-building through professional training and reinforcing higher education systems in partner countries, including through vocational training;
• Facilitating the labour mobility process through targeted measures, including the facilitation of recognition and validation of skills and qualifications, and supporting fair recruitment;
• Supporting the integration of migrant workers in the destination country, including through information on migrant workers’ rights, monitoring working conditions and supporting integration through diaspora mobilisation;
• Supporting re-integration of migrant workers in partner countries following circular labour migration.

Talent Partnership Roadmaps provide an overview of the activities, including EU-funded activities, such as EU Support to legal migration, mobility and skills partnerships with North of African countries (THAMM/THAMM+ programme), and projects under the Migration Partnership Facility contributing to mutually agreed objectives. In line with the Team Europe approach, Talent Partnerships include the bilateral cooperation between the interested EU Member States and partner countries.

Funding support:

EU funds support actions undertaken through the Talent Partnerships. Moreover, Member States and the private sector provide their support via direct contributions.

• Migration Partnership Facility (MPF): EU Member States and other actors can apply for EU funding for labour migration projects and mobility schemes under the MPF. For an overview of the projects supporting Talent Partnerships under the MPF, please see MPF Projects. The current call for proposals for grants is open on a rolling basis until exhaustion of funds.
• AMIF National programmes: EU Member States can use the AMIF National programmes to support the implementation of Talent Partnerships, notably by reinforcing pre-departure and pre-integration measures, such as language training.
• NDICI-Global Europe also supports the implementation of Talent Partnerships, funding skills development and training programmes, as well as mobility schemes. The programme Towards a Holistic Approach to Labour Migration Governance and Labour Mobility in North Africa (THAMM) contributes to improving the governance of labour migration and the protection of migrant workers. Programmes to support the implementation of the Talent Partnerships with Pakistan and Bangladesh were launched in 2024 with the aim of building skills, addressing training needs in sectors of common interest and facilitating mobility to EU countries.

State of play

Background

In the Communication on Attracting skills and talent, the Commission announced that it would launch the first Talent Partnerships to make the EU more attractive to the skills we need.

In November 2023, the Commission proposed a Regulation establishing an EU Talent Pool as a part of the Skills and Talent Mobility Package. The EU Talent Pool will be the first EU-wide platform aimed at facilitating international recruitment and providing job opportunities for jobseekers from third countries residing outside the EU and having the skills required to work in EU-wide shortage occupations at all skills levels. The EU Talent Pool will also help implementing Talent Partnerships by providing a tool for effective job placements of non-EU nationals participating in these partnerships.