EU sues 17 countries for failing to comply with new single work permit law

The European Commission requires Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, France, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Finland and Sweden to urgently bring national legislation into line with the updated Single Permit Directive. Deadline was on May 21 of this year - countries missed it.

What has changed in the new rules? Third-country workers are no longer tied to a single employer and can change jobs and sectors. You can now apply directly from abroad or by staying in the EU if you already have a residence permit. The review time was reduced from 120 to 90 days. If you lose your job, you can stay in the country for three months (previously two), or six months if you have lived there for more than two years.

In 2024, more than 4.6 million citizens from outside the EU were granted the right to work and live in the EU through a single permit system. According to IndustriALL, the main task is to guarantee fair working conditions and protect migrants from exploitation. Countries that have breached deadlines have two months to respond to the commission's claim.

Source: The Local Italy