News

Bilateral Labour Arrangements, especially flexible, non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs), have been on the uptake in the 2020s as EU Member States turn to them to plug labour shortages, advance migration diplomacy, and build safer, skills-driven mobility schemes with partner countries. This analytical piece by Bianca Varesio and Orlane Janvier analyses the recent surge of such agreements between the EU and partner countries. 

The fourth EU Labour Mobility Practitioners’ Network (LMPN) Conference, held in Brussels on 18–19 November, brought together policymakers, practitioners and international partners to explore how labour migration can be made smoother, more effective and sustainable. Under the theme “From Lessons to Levers: Driving the next phase of labour migration”, discussions focused on mechanisms that influence outcomes—whether through innovation, operational improvements or strategic partnerships.

speaker line up at the opening of NET-Work You

In the Southern Italian region of Apulia, local companies in the agri-food sector wish to innovate but struggle to recruit specialised technicians due to emigration and an aging workforce. A selection of these companies will participate in a circular labour mobility scheme with Egypt focused on enhancing the skills of young Egyptian workers and students in the fields of green economy, digitalisation and agriculture.

Displaced Ukrainians in Moldova face many barriers when trying to access essential services in the towns where they live, exacerbating existing vulnerabilities. In turn, local and national authorities lack sufficient data on needs and challenges that migrants have when accessing social services and to be able to make informed decisions. 

Since December 2024, the project funded through the MPF, Cities and Regions for All (CR4A): Full Integration of Refugees and Migrants in Urban and Rural Environments, and implemented by People in Need International and Prague 5 Municipal District, wants to help overcome these challenges.  

The closing ceremony of the “Strengthening Migrant Integration through cooperation between Portugal and Cabo Verde” (Coop4Int) project took place on July 24, 2025, in the city of Praia, Cape Verde. Coop4Int was funded by the European Union through the MPF since December 2021 and sought to enhance the inclusion of migrants in line with the National Immigration Strategy and 2018-2021 Action Plan for Immigration and Social Integration of Cabo Verde.

speaker during the ReMMAr closing conference

The closing conference of the project “Reinforcement of the Migration Management System in the Republic of Armenia,” (ReMMAr) funded by the EU through the MPF and implemented by People in Need, was held on 23 April 2025 in Yerevan. The event showcased the project’s key achievements and underscored its impact on supporting both individual migrants and returnees and Armenian state institutions.

Page 1 of 10