Opinion Factsheet 

Contribute the CoR point of view on the way that the admission into and residence in the EU of third country nationals for the purpose of studies, pupil exchange, paid or unpaid traineeships, volunteering and au-pairing.
Provide the point of view of local and regional authorities to certain elements of the Commission's proposal for a directive.
The opinion will try to highlight the contribution that LRA can provide to the design and the implementation of EU policy and legislation in this domain.

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS



- considers that one challenge currently facing the EU is its ageing population. Against this backdrop, the admission of third country nationals for research, studies, training, voluntary service, exchange programmes and au pairing helps to meet the demand for human capital;

- supports the efforts made by the EU to remain a key magnet for students and researchers. The European Union retains considerable potential when it comes to the skills and infrastructure necessary for developing international centres of excellence in various fields of research and branches of science. The Member States must step up economic and scientific cooperation and at the same time adopt common programmes and objectives. Since other parts of the world are becoming ever more attractive to students, researchers and other highly-qualified third-country migrant workers, the EU should effectively and directly address the weaknesses that have been pinpointed in attracting certain groups to Europe;

- believes that there must be an integrated approach to achieving the directive's objectives, the ultimate aim of which is to develop a competitive European economy within the international environment;

- considers application of multilevel governance to be an essential precondition for successful regulation of the entry of third country nationals and their residence in EU territory and draws attention to the fact that if the policy of attracting talented migrants is to be successful, local and regional authorities must be actively involved in promoting the mobility of the groups covered by the directive.