On December 1, from 13.00 to 14.15 CET, the Centre for Migration Law and a group of Horizon Europe projects focusing on irregular migration in Europe will present the second online joint webinar.

This webinar it will be moderated by Tesseltje de Lange (Professor of European Migration Law, Radboud University, Principal Investigator of DignityFIRM project), with speakers including Clémence Ghighi, Policy Officer at the European Commission (Unit “Pathways and integration”); Amy Weatherburn, Post-doctoral fellow, Centre de Droit Européen et Institut d’Études Européennes, Université Libre de Bruxelles; Lilana Keith, Senior Advocacy Officer at PICUM; and Tineke Strik, Professor Citizenship and Migration Law, Radboud University, Member European Parliament at LIBE committee, AFET and DROIT. The session will discuss the recast of the Single Permit Directive regarding Migrant Workers.

In 2022, the European Commission tabled a recast of the Single Permit Directive (SPD) with a two-fold objective: firstly, to simplify and clarify its scope, and secondly, to enhance the protection of migrant workers against exploitation. Subsequently, in March 2023, the European Parliament introduced significant amendments aimed at bolstering the safeguarding of migrant workers, particularly concerning their right to change employers. However, the Council exhibited a reluctance in advancing the rights of migrant workers in relation to employers.

Researchers (see De Lange et al. 2022 and Weatherburn 2023) have demonstrated that the existing Single Permit system, characterised by protracted procedures, dependency on employers, and a lack of complaint mechanisms, hinders the protection and long-term prospects of migrant workers. The proposed recast of the SPD holds the potential for progress in enhancing the rights of migrant workers. A deeper understanding of the Directive, along with its opportunities and challenges, enables us to better comprehend how to safeguard the rights of migrant workers and address the central theme of our series: preventing regular labor migrants from transitioning into irregular migration status. In a lunch webinar, experts will discuss the SPD recast and explore key topics, including the right to change employers and procedural complexities.

To join this webinar in December, please register here.

 This webinar series and the related projects are funded by the European Union.