Status of Transposition of Revised EU Blue Card Directive (as of 20 August 2024)
20 August 2024The deadline for EU Member States to implement the revised EU Blue Card Directive (2021/1883) was set for 18 November 2023. While many Member States have successfully transposed the Directive into their national legislation, a few, including Croatia, Poland, Slovenia, and Sweden, have yet to do so. Belgium has made partial progress, with Flanders already compliant, Brussels expected to follow in October 2024, and Wallonia later in the year. Denmark and Ireland have opted out of the Directive.
The revised EU Blue Card Directive, which replaces Directive 2009/50/EC, forms part of the EU’s broader migration strategy aimed at attracting and retaining global talent, particularly in light of the EU’s ageing population and the growing shortage of skilled workers. “The new scheme . . . introduce[es] more flexible admission conditions, enhanced rights and the possibility to move and work more easily between EU Member States.” It also includes provisions affecting the rights of non-EU family members, such as reduced waiting periods for family reunification and direct work authorisation for dependants. Permits Foundation played an active role in the advocacy efforts during the revision of the Blue Card, particularly in ensuring that Article 17(6) did not include a labour market test for dependants.
Permits Foundation will continue to monitor the transposition of the revised Directive across Member States, critically assessing whether national implementations uphold the Directive’s intended scope, particularly regarding the work authorisation rights of recognised dependants. Any relevant updates and our ongoing advocacy efforts will be documented on the EU Member State country pages of our World Map.
Click here for information on EU-wide legislation relating to partner work access and Permits Foundation’s extensive advocacy at this level.
