This research paper, undertaken through a contract with the European Parliament’s Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS), supports the European Added Value Assessment (EAVA) on a legislative initiative of the European Parliament on the topic of ‘Legal migration policy and law’. Legal and economic analysis was carried out to review the state of play and the existing gaps and barriers in EU action. Based on the findings, the research paper defines 14 policy options that are distributed across three policy clusters:
• Harmonise rules for the recognition of qualifications
• Introduce new legal channels for labour migration to the EU
• Improve TCN workers’ rights and employment conditions, including policies on the demand side of the labour market
The legal and economic aspects of each policy option are assessed in qualitative and quantitative terms drawing on a range of sources. The study assesses the impacts on fundamental rights protection, internal and external coherence, and on labour market outcomes.
