Skills Mobility Partnerships in the Prague Process Region

Skills mobility partnerships (SMPs) are emerging as an increasingly important policy tool for addressing labour shortages, skills mismatches, and demographic pressures, while expanding legal migration opportunities and promoting skills development. SMPs combine mobility and training components through bilateral or multilateral cooperation between the origin and destination, with the aim of generating mutual benefits for governments, employers, and migrants.

This study examines governmental SMPs involving selected non-EU Prague Process participating states, focusing on the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia) and Eastern European and Central Asian countries (Armenia, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan). Based on desk research and comparative analysis of 39 identified SMPs, this paper provides an overview of partnership design and highlights takeaways for states in the region wishing to launch or refine SMPs, whether as an origin or destination.

Overall, the study suggests that SMPs can offer Prague Process states a flexible framework for developing mutually beneficial labour mobility arrangements. They can support skills development, facilitate better-managed migration pathways, strengthen cooperation between countries, and help address labour shortages while mitigating risks associated with brain drain. At the same time, the analysis highlights the importance of ensuring that future partnerships systematically address issues such as qualification recognition, reintegration support, and long-term sustainability not yet consistently visible in existing partnerships.

This publication was produced in the framework of the Prague Process Migration Observatory. The Prague Process is funded by the European Union through the Migration Partnership Facility (MPF), which is implemented by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD).

* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.