Euro MPs give support to intra-corporate transferees and their families

Permits Foundation welcomes the vote which represents an important step towards a more attractive Europe for international companies, intra-corporate transferees and their families.

Permits Foundation has campaigned successfully for two family amendments since the Commission’s proposals were presented mid 2010. The first will ensure that families can arrive in the EU at the same time as the intra-corporate employee and the second allows them to be employed or self-employed during the assignment.

The vote in the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs committee is significant because it showed politicians from across national and political groupings backing a significant improvement to the Commission’s original proposals on family matters.  

The Directive is intended to make the EU an attractive place to do business, thereby helping economic growth. It is one of a range of measures in the EU’s developing policies on migration. It will create common entry and residence procedures and rights for highly qualified employees being transferred for up to three years to the EU by international companies.

Other amendments adopted by the committee include clearer definitions of eligible managers and specialists and a reduction in their prior employment condition from 12 months to 9 months.  The definition of trainees, who would be allowed to work for up to 12 months, has also been widened beyond the original idea of graduate trainees and their prior employment condition reduced to 3 months. The MEP committee also voted for easier mobility within the EU for up to half the duration of the assignment. ICT employees will also be entitled to at least the same remuneration and conditions as nationals workers.  

The next steps

It’s not all plain sailing just yet. Following the orientation vote on 26 January 2012 in the Civil Liberties Committee, further discussions will now take place between key MEPs of the Civil Liberties Committee and the Council with a view to ironing out any differences. Final adoption of the Directive requires a co-decision between Parliament and Council.

In addition to working with Euro MPs on the changes, Permits Foundation has also been in dialogue with the Council’s working party on immigration, during both the Hungarian and Polish presidencies, and with individual country representatives. We will continue to progress these issues under the new Danish presidency in Council and with the Parliament until the Directive is adopted. At present, no deadline has been set, but the mandate for further discussions between Parliament and Council shows an intention to move forward.  

EU countries will retain the right to decide on the number of third-country nationals admitted under the Directive.

The large number of amendments that were submitted by MEPs shows the wide interest in migration policy for third country nationals across of the political groups.

A consolidated text of the Civil Liberties Committee report, including their proposed amendments to the Directive, should be available in a week’s time.

Further details in European Parliament Press Release