In its Communication on the Union of Skills of March 2025, the European Commission announced the development of a Skills Portability Initiative (SPI). As part of the forthcoming Fair Mobility Package to be presented in October 2026, the SPI is intended to enhance the portability and recognition of skills and qualifications across the European Union, irrespective of where they were acquired. The initiative seeks to remove practical and administrative barriers that hinder mobility and to promote greater transparency and comparability of competences throughout the Single Market.

By simplifying recruitment procedures for employers and facilitating cross-border labour mobility for workers, the Skills Portability Initiative has the potential to contribute meaningfully to addressing persistent skills shortages. In doing so, it can support productivity, innovation and the long-term competitiveness of Europe’s manufacturing, engineering and technology-based (MET) industries, which are undergoing twin technological and green transitions.

Ceemet, as a recognised European social partner representing 200,000 companies and providing 19 million direct and 40 million indirect jobs across Europe, underlines that building a genuine single market for skills is essential to sustain Europe’s industrial base. Skills are a cornerstone of competitive MET industries. In this paper, Ceemet sets out its views and key considerations regarding the forthcoming Skills Portability Initiative.