What the mobility deal between the EU and India will mean for skilled workers

The EU and India have a long history of collaboration. Bilateral ties were established in 1962 and a comprehensive trade agreement has been in discussion since 2004, think tank Bruegel recalls. In 2016, the EU and India adopted a Common Agenda on Migration and Mobility (CAMM) focusing on skilled workers and social security.

The memorandum of understanding signed in January, however, includes “provisions on mobility of professionals, which are among most ambitious to which each party has committed in the past,” a European Commission press release says. What’s in this new agreement?

Skilled workers

The ‘EU-India comprehensive framework of cooperation on mobility’ aims to “facilitate the mobility of skilled workers, young professionals and seasonal workers in shortage sectors while promoting research and innovation,” the Commission says. As migration policy is national competence, it will only apply to interested EU Member States.

The mobility deal includes provisions to support “skills development and compare skills and qualification frameworks” especially “in critical tech areas”.

Students and academics

The Commission also says that the agreement will “strengthen mobility exchanges of students, academics and researchers” through EU programmes such as the Union of Skills (for lifelong learning), Erasmus+, and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (for doctoral education), as well as India’s Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC).

The Telegraph India quotes India foreign secretary Vikram Misri saying that the EU-India memorandum of understanding will facilitate “long-stay visas and resident permits for Indian nationals for studies for at least one year”. “If there are longer periods of study, they go back to individual member states,” he added. The same would apply for researchers.

The agreement will also explore options for the association of India to Horizon Europe, the EU’s flagship research programme.

European Legal Gateway Office

As part of the deal, the European Commission will open the first European Legal Gateway Office in India. The office will help Indian workers, students and researchers to find out about opportunities in Europe, starting with the ICT sector.

Another stated objective is to “make full use of the EU Talent Pool IT platform,” a portal that is being developed to match vacancies in shortage occupations in EU countries with non-EU jobseekers.

Business and professional services

An Indian government press release adds that the agreement “provides a facilitative and predictable framework for business mobility covering short-term, temporary and business travel in both directions”. This concerns intra-corporate transferees, contractual service suppliers, and independent professionals.

“The framework eases movement of employees (and their spouses and dependents) of Indian corporates established in the EU in all services sectors,” a note by India’s Ministry of Commerce explains.

“For business entities aiming to provide services under a contract to EU clients, India can access 37 sub-sectors including IT, business, and professional services. Independent professionals intending to provide services to EU clients get certainty in 17 sub-sectors … covering IT, R&D, and higher education…” the note adds.

India and the EU have also agreed to take steps to enable social security agreements in five years with all the EU Member States.

'Good for our economies'

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said about the deal: “Our greatest wealth is our people. That is why I am glad that we are signing an agreement on mobility… This is good for our economies. This is good for the friendship between our people. This openness benefits us all.”

A blog post published by the European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM), a think tank in Brussels, says that “the human element is perhaps the most vital enabler” of the overall EU-India trade agreement. “By streamlining visas for students, researchers and tech talent, and launching a pilot European Legal Gateway Office, the agreement aims to bridge the skills gap that often hinders deep technological integration,” authors argued.

The EU-India agreement has to be ratified by EU member states, the European parliament and the Indian cabinet before it enters into force.

Data provided by the Indian government show that at the end of 2024 almost one million (931,607) Indian citizens were living in the EU. Indian nationals are the largest group of EU Blue Cards holders and among the top recipients of the Erasmus Mundus scholarships. They were also the first to access the ‘cascade’ visa scheme, a long-term visa that rewards travellers with an established travel history and allows multiple entries to the EU/Schengen area over a long period of time.