ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the European Union agreed on Thursday to deepen cooperation on migration and labor mobility, committing to implement a talent-partnership roadmap while reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to the EU-Pakistan Readmission Agreement (EURA) and efforts to curb illegal migration.

The understanding was reached during the third session of the Pakistan–EU Migration and Mobility Dialogue held in Islamabad.

Launched in 2022 under the Pakistan–EU Strategic Engagement Plan, the dialogue provides a framework for cooperation on legal migration, readmission and reintegration and skills development through the EU’s Talent Partnership initiative.

“Both sides appreciated the growing level of cooperation on the issue of migration and labor mobility,” Pakistan’s foreign office said in a statement. “The Pakistan side emphasized that it remained committed to the EURA agreement, while the EU side acknowledged Pakistan’s efforts toward curbing illegal migration.”

“Both sides agreed to work toward implementation of the Pakistan–EU Talent Partnership Roadmap for mutual benefit,” the statement added.

The EURA, signed in 2010, governs the return of Pakistani nationals who have no legal right to remain in EU member states, setting out procedures for readmission and reintegration. The EU, in turn, has supported capacity-building and vocational programs in Pakistan aimed at creating safer, legal pathways for migration.

The next session of the Migration and Mobility Dialogue will be held in Brussels.

The talks come against the backdrop of repeated migrant tragedies involving Pakistanis. In June 2023, at least 350 Pakistani nationals were aboard an overcrowded boat that capsized off the coast of Greece in one of Europe’s deadliest migrant shipwrecks.

Earlier this year, at least 16 Pakistanis were reported dead after a boat sank off Libya’s coast.

Islamabad has since vowed to intensify action against human-smuggling networks and expand legal migration opportunities.