27 February 2026 marked the closing date for submissions to the European Commission’s consultation on its forthcoming Skills Portability Initiative—part of the wider Fair Labour Mobility Package aimed at making it easier for workers to carry recognised qualifications across Member States. The Commission’s Border Focal Point Network had repeatedly singled out Belgium’s multi-lingual frontier regions (Flanders–Netherlands, Wallonia–France, and the cross-border Meuse-Rhine Eurodistrict) as priority contributors. Belgian chambers of commerce estimate that 42,000 vacancies along those borders remain open primarily because employers cannot quickly verify an applicant’s credentials issued abroad. HR departments running commuter assignments between Antwerp and Eindhoven, or Liège and Aachen, currently juggle three different recognition regimes. The Skills Portability Initiative proposes a digital “competence wallet” aligned with the EU Digital Identity framework, allowing automatic verification at the tap of a QR code. During February, global-mobility teams from BASF Antwerp, Google Mons and the European Space Agency in Redu submitted position papers calling for: 1) a 48-hour service-level target for cross-border recognition decisions; 2) integration of private professional certifications (e.g., ISO lead auditor) alongside formal diplomas; and 3) robust data protection rules to reassure highly qualified staff. The Belgian federal employment service (FOREM/VDAB/Actiris) coordinated a joint national response that emphasises interoperability with Belgium’s existing e-ID and the federal diploma database. Stakeholders now await the Commission’s legislative proposal expected in Q4 2026. If adopted, the new regime could shave weeks off assignment lead-times and reduce compliance costs for intra-EU postings—a significant win for the thousands of Belgian-based companies that rotate specialists across European sites.
