Skip to content On 29 January 2026, the EU Commission adopted a first ever ‘Visa Strategy’. It, among other goals, sets out steps to attract more foreign ‘talent’ to boost innovation in the European Union. This objective is set out in more details in the Recommendation on attracting talent for innovation.
Objective
The objective of the recommendation is to facilitate access to the European Union for non-EU students, researchers, highly qualified and skilled workers, startup founders and innovative entrepreneurs.
In addition to access, the European Union seeks to keep those talents in the European Union.
How?
The European Union addresses its Member States and asks them to adapt their laws to:
- Simplify visa applications and evaluations ;
- Simplify admission conditions ;
- Shorten processing times ;
- Enhance entrepreneurial and long-term employment opportunities, as well as supporting those talents integration into the country ;
- Foster intra-EU mobility ;
To achieve those goals, the Commission also recommends strengthening administrative staff, improving access to information, and reinforce coordination locally.
Impact
The size of the impact depends on how much the national governments are willing to apply those recommendations in practice.
Nonetheless, this recommendation implies that companies will have an easier time hiring non-EU skilled employees in the close future.