Interview
Patrick Gibney is a EURES (The European Employment Service)advisor for Ireland. Through a network of advisors, the European Job Mobility Portal provides information required by job seekers and employers through personal contacts. With over 850 EURES advisers across Europe, they have developed specialised expertise in the practical, legal and administrative matters relating to mobility at national and cross-border levels. They work within the Public Employment Service of each member country, or within other partner organisations in the EURES network. In an interview with Open Citizenship, Patrick Gibney discusses issues relating to EURES, mobility within the European Union and the needs of people looking for employment outside their country of origin.
In your opinion, what does it mean to be European?
The main aspect of being European is the freedom to be able to travel freely, work and study without restrictions within the Member States – for instance, it is possible for someone from Ireland to live freely in Germany, marry a Belgium national and then move to Italy or any other country within Europe if they so wish. More importantly, as Europeans we also share the same rights as everyone else regardless of which[1]European country a person may be based.
The purpose of EURES is to provide information and advice for people wishing to live and work within Europe. As a EURES advisor, what information is most sought after?
When talking about the issue of mobility or the search for employment abroad, the initial focus is usually centred on the type of possibilities available in different countries within Europe. Once this has been established, it is common for people to look for further information about various aspects of the culture within the target country as well as everyday concerns such as accommodation, education system and tax issues. Preparation is the key to success when moving to another country. The more knowledgeable and prepared a person is, the better they will be able to cope with any unexpected challenges. The EURES service is a very important tool that is provided by the European Commission and that contains literally thousands of job vacancies and an assortment of other essential information on living and working in other Member States. What’s more, people can rely on individual help and expert advice from a huge network of EURES advisors in every country across Europe – for instance, in Ireland we have 15 EURES advisors that engage with people on a daily basis.
There are currently over 20 EURES cross-border partnerships – what is the purpose of these partnerships and what are the main issues facing people looking for cross-border work?
This would be an issue that is more important in mainland Europe than in Ireland. The EURES specialists working on cross-border issues normally advise and instruct people on a variety of issues such as pension rights, health insurances and tax concerns.
What are the base issues or special challenges facing third-country nationals who want to live and work within Europe?
Similar to the way America was perceived by countless immigrants in the past, Europe is seen as the land of opportunities by people from outside the European Union. There exists a type of ‘European Dream’ for many third-country nationals who perceive Europe as a place of wealth and security. Unfortunately getting to be part of that dream can be difficult – for instance, if a person comes to Ireland seeking asylum, there are a number of stages which that person must go through before they are allowed to stay in the country. Even if, for instance, an African national was allowed to travel within Europe, they would still need work permits before they could legally engage in employment and these can be difficult to get. A work permit cannot be applied for by the third-country national – this can only by done by the employer in Europe who makes the application on their behalf. Besides this, the type of job must be a high-skilled one that earns above €30,000 a year and must be a position that is deemed to be in shortage (at least this is the situation as it applies to Ireland).
Can a citizen of the European Union be restricted in his/her right to travel and work within Europe?
Although the right to freedom of movement exists for all people from ‘Western’ Europe, different rules exist within the Member States (or at least have existed in some places), with regards to the ten new accession countries that joined the Union in 2004. Some countries such as Germany had a quota on the number of people that could enter the country although this was changed after a period of time. From Ireland’s viewpoint, we didn’t have any quotas, but we did have restrictions on Bulgarians and Romanians entering the country. Specifically, people coming to Ireland from these countries had to obtain a work permit for the first year before they were allowed work legally in the country. Ireland also felt the need to place restrictions – not to hinder mobility – but with regards to welfare entitlements. It must be stated that this wasn’t only with reference to the new states – this also was put in place for all people, even the Irish themselves. In order to claim welfare benefits, a person had to prove that they were resident and working within the country for at least two years. This was really just done as a safeguard – although 2004 was a brave time for Europe, it was also a time of uncertainty.
In your opinion, are levels of mobility increasing within the EU? If so, what type of demographic is moving and what are the reasons behind this?
Currently Ireland is experiencing a mass emigration but it’s not really to Europe. Mostly (young) people are leaving home and heading towards America, UK, Canada and Australia – the English-speaking parts of the world. At the same time, we are still experiencing a huge influx of people from the ‘new ten’ accession countries, especially Poland. This movement of people was a lot larger before the economic crisis hit, but it still is quite evident today. I heard someone ask a person from Poland as to why they moved to Ireland and the answer was simply ‘Because I can!’. There is more opportunity now for people from these countries than existed before, especially now that they are integrated into the Union. Also, the basic rate of pay in Ireland is a lot more than in Poland, so the chance to earn money is a big incentive for a lot of people. Due to the salary differences, a lot of these people (often graduates and highly trained people), end up working in low-skilled positions for the minimum wage in Ireland. This has led to the thinking that countries like Ireland may be unconsciously promoting a type of ‘brain drain’ of over-qualified people from their home countries. But at the end of the day, it’s a matter of choice that people make and at least it is now their choice to make.
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