EUA Statement on Visa directive: Researchers Welcome
Europe needs talented students and researchers in order to achieve its goals for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. For this reason, the European University Association (EUA) welcomes the initiative to revise the Directive on the conditions of entry and residence of third-country nationals for the purposes of research, studies, pupil exchange, remunerated and unremunerated training, voluntary service and au pairing.
European universities require talent in order to sustain their high level of teaching and research, both in order to keep Europe at the forefront of global knowledge creation and to train highly qualified workers for the knowledge-intensive industries on the continent. At present, there are not enough highly qualified people within Europe to sustain, let alone develop, a globally competitive knowledge economy. Human resources from elsewhere are needed. Already one in four doctoral researchers in the EU are from outside the Union. This global recruitment of future researchers and knowledge workers through universities is vital.
