As the pandemic reaches different stages in different countries, its longer-term impacts on the migration and employment landscape, as well as economic recovery, will become increasingly pressing priorities to address – and ones that will necessitate revisiting cooperation on labour migration schemes. In this context, the Republic of Malta and ICMPD, through its Member States Programme, organised an expert discussion on 27 May 2021 that explored the future of legal migration policies, with a focus on enhanced cooperation and partnerships that are responsive to the post-COVID-19 reality.
Panellists first shared their perspectives on how the COVID-19 pandemic altered work and migration patterns in their respective countries and reflected on lessons learned. Additionally, a representative from the World Health Organization discussed the impact of the pandemic on the migration of health workers and the WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel. Additionally, a speaker from the European Commission shared how the pandemic has altered the Commission’s approach towards legal migration and looked ahead to the soon-to-be-launched Talent Partnerships and other plans related to (skilled) migration, including the new Blue Card Directive. National participants shared their perspectives on measures necessary to create more resilient partnerships following the pandemic, including partnerships on legal migration in particular.
The event took place in the framework of the 2021 Maltese Chairmanship of the ICMPD Steering Group, which is focusing on the overarching topic of "Redefining migration partnerships". During its Chairmanship, Malta wishes to delve into the ways in which cooperation on migration can be redefined to ensure win-win situations and nurture truly beneficial and sustainable relationships. The event was also organised in conjunction with ICMPD’s 2021 policy programme focus theme, “Tapping into global talent,” which aims to engage stakeholders in discussions on talent-related policies and deliver evidence-driven analysis in this key, strategic area of migration policy.