Talent Pools: EU silences criticism of new instruments to facilitate mass migration

Brussels 20/03/2025 - Today, the LIBE-committee of the European parliament voted on the so-called ‘talent pools’, a system to legalise the influx of 7 million new migrant workers to the EU by 2030. The Patriots of Europe, as the third largest group in the European Parliament, denounced the initiative and presented a minority position. Although legally allowed to, the LIBE-chair, mr. Javier Zarzalejos (PPE) blocked the statement of Patriots’ Tom Vandendriessche, who defended further activating the European workforce, increasing productivity and strengthening the support for European families.

The Talent Pool is a central system that voluntarily matches European employers with non-European workers. Although member states formally retain control, in practice this will lead to a structural increase in immigration, resulting in further pressure on wages and social security. Tom Vandendriessche is clear: “This is not selective labour migration of highly skilled specialists, but a project to bring as much cheap labour to Europe as possible. This only plays into the hands of multinationals looking to drive down wages.” The Talent Pool plan does not target engineers or doctors, but low-paid labour in sectors such as logistics, hospitality, cleaning and transport. “People are trying to sell this as a solution to bottleneck occupations, but the reality is that they want to import a cheap labour reserve,” says Vandendriessche. “This does not mean more welfare, but more social dumping and lower wages for our own people.”

In this minority position, the authors strongly oppose the establishment of an EU Talent Pool, even on a voluntary basis, as it constitutes an unnecessary EU intervention in national migration policies and undermines Member States’ sovereignty over their labour markets. Article 79(5) TFEU confirms that legal migration remains a national competence, yet this initiative risks pressuring Member States to open new migration channels. Rather than ensuring temporary labour migration, the Talent Pool could lead to long-term settlement, making return enforcement more difficult, particularly in countries with lenient regularization policies. Experience with similar schemes shows that supposedly temporary migration often becomes permanent, undermining controlled migration policies.

Addressing labour shortages and demographic challenges should focus on supporting European families and increasing birth rates, not on attracting more migrants. Member States must retain full control over migration, ensuring it remains highly selective, temporary, and aligned with national interests. An EU-managed platform threatens this control and increases dependency on third-country migration.

The authors reject this proposal and call for a strategy that strengthens national workforces and productivity, reduces reliance on migration, and upholds the full sovereignty of Member States over their migration policies. Migration must be a national decision, not an EU-imposed framework.

The EU Talent Pool system threatens to undermine national interests and structurally increase immigration. “If we want to strengthen our economy, we should focus on innovation and homegrown talent, not on mass migration of millions of non-European foreigners,” concludes Vandendriessche. The refusal of the chair to listen to the voice of the third largest group in parliament is exemplary for the growing unease of the European powers that are with firm opposition. Freedom of speech is non-negotiable in parliament and outside of Brussels ivory towers. As Patriots for Europe, we will not stand for this thinly veiled platform for mass migration.