The proposal of pilot projects in September 2017, and of the Talent Partnerships in September 2020 with the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, gave momentum to the political debate on labour migration in the European Union (EU). The shift towards “talents” hints at an approach focusing on the interlinkage between migration and skills development when defining new partnerships with partner countries.

In a context of global transitions, such as the green and digital ones, economies and labour markets are set to undergo major transformations, and future partnerships will have to tackle the short-, medium- to long-term needs deriving from these changes. To this end, identifying skills that are necessary today and that will become important in the future is crucial. Due to opposite demographic trends, the EU will soon face increasing workforce replacement needs while the young populations in Southern Mediterranean countries are expected to grow exponentially. On this basis, this Policy Report aims to identify possible areas in which Talent Partnerships can be developed between the EU and Southern Mediterranean countries within a mutually-beneficial framework.