The Directive 2016/801, of 11 May 2016, merges two existing Directives (students and researchers) and is a response to the implementation reports of the previous Directives. European higher education becomes a more attractive destination for students and researchers of non-EU countries and higher education institutions internationalization is supported. The Directive also helps to promote the EU as an attractive location for research and innovation, increasing competitiveness, growth and employment. This legal instrument reinforces the European Research Area and guarantees free movement for researchers, scientific knowledge and technology. Despite the differences in the people that it covers, they share characteristics that allow this common framework to exist, contributing to achieve the goals of the Stockholm Programme that aims to approximate national legislation on the conditions for entry and residency of third-country nationals. More than ever it is urgent to understand that immigration from outside the EU is a source of highly skilled people that can play an important role in forming human capital, Europe’s main asset, in line with the goals of the “Europe 2020” Strategy.
The Directive: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32016L0801&from=EN
