Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
 
The European Ministerial Council approved its position on updating EU law dealing with legal migration to the EU labor market. The updated rules simplify the application procedure and make it more efficient. Thanks to this international recruitment of talent he should get a boost. More rights for third country workers and equal treatment compared to EU workers should reduce labor exploitation. According to what came in a European statement issued on the sidelines of the meetings of the Ministers of Interior and Justice in the Union countries, which started this morning and will last for two days in Luxembourg. "It should be able to hire foreign professionals more easily. A smooth and predictable application process is critical and this is guaranteed by the one permit law we agreed on today."
According to the European statement, the Single Declaration Directive deals with the admission of third-country nationals to reside and work in the European Union. It defines the application process for EU countries to issue this individual permit and establishes common rights for these workers. Member states retain the final say on which and how many third-country workers they want to admit into the labor market.

Application procedures
Depending on the Council's position, a foreign worker can apply from the territory of a third country or from within the European Union. When a member state decides to issue one permit, that decision will amount to a residence and work permit.

Duration
The decision to issue a single permit must be made within four months after receiving the complete application. This period also covers - depending on the Council's position - the time needed to check the state of the labor market before deciding on a single permit.

Change of employer
With a view to further improving the protection of third country workers, the Council foresees the possibility for a single permit holder to change employer, subject to notification or request to the appropriate authorities. In the event of job loss, third-country workers are allowed to remain in the territory of the member state if the total period of unemployment does not exceed two months during the validity of the individual permit.