The Seasonal and fair employment blueprints (SaFE) project held an expert workshop for EU Member States on 10-11 June, focusing on promoting ethical recruitment and decent living and working conditions for seasonal migrant workers in the EU. This is part of the project’s objective to support Member States in enhancing their existing seasonal work schemes for non-EU workers, or creating new schemes, in line with the EU Seasonal workers Directive.
Countries
*European Union
Status
Ongoing
Duration
01.08.2025
to
31.08.2026
Donors
European Commission (DG HOME) through the Migration Partnership Facility (MPF)
Summary
Industries such as agriculture and horticulture and tourism are heavily reliant on non-EU seasonal workers. In 2021, an estimated 420,000 non-EU seasonal workers were employed in the EU agriculture sector, while in 2023, 9% of the tourism workforce came from outside the EU. Despite their importance, these sectors face systemic challenges that undermine fairness and sustainability. Unethical recruitment practices and poor working and living conditions perpetuate exploitation, and these challenges persist despite EU protections, including the Seasonal Workers Directive, due to weak oversight mechanisms.
This technical assistance project will support EU Member States in designing and enhancing fair and sustainable seasonal worker mobility schemes in the agriculture and horticulture and the tourism sectors. By delivering practical reference tools to help governments improve seasonal work mobility initiatives for non-EU nationals, the project promotes dignified, transparent seasonal work across the EU.