MEPs in the European Parliament’s Employment and Social Affairs Committee have backed a provisional deal with EU governments to update rules on access to social benefits for people who live or work in another EU country.
The committee approved the agreement by 47 votes in favour, three against and four abstentions, according to the European Parliament's report on Wednesday.
If formally adopted by the European Parliament and the Council, the deal would set clearer criteria for deciding which country’s social security system applies, and is intended to improve cooperation between member states so information is shared more quickly to help identify errors and fraud.
The updated rules cover unemployment, family and long-term care benefits for “mobile workers” — people who move within the EU for work.
Under the agreement, periods of work, self-employment or insurance completed in different member states would be counted more clearly when assessing eligibility for unemployment benefits, with the country where someone last worked or was insured taking responsibility if the person was active there for at least one uninterrupted month.
People who travel to another EU country to look for work would be able to keep receiving unemployment benefits for six months from the country they left, and that period could be extended to the end of their entitlement.
For unemployed cross-border workers, the deal would set out which country pays benefits, with responsibility falling to the member state where the person was employed, self-employed or insured for an uninterrupted period of 22 weeks.
Posted workers and care benefits
The agreement would keep current rules for workers or self-employed people sent abroad for up to 24 months — known as “posted workers” — meaning they stay insured in the country where their employer is established or where they normally work, the European Parliament said.
To reduce fraud and mistakes, posted workers would need to have been insured for at least three months before being sent abroad.
The deal would also introduce a mandatory prior notification system when a worker carries out activities in another EU country, with an exception for business trips and short-term activities lasting no more than three consecutive days within a 30-day period — an exception that would not apply to the construction sector.
On long-term care, the agreement would add a new definition of long-term care benefits and a list of benefits covered, aimed at clarifying how these benefits are coordinated across the EU.
Negotiators also agreed that economically inactive mobile citizens should have comprehensive sickness insurance cover in their host member state, in line with EU Court of Justice decisions.
Gabriele Bischoff, the European Parliament rapporteur on the file, said the committee vote was “the next major step towards clearer, fairer and more enforceable rules” for people living or working across borders in the EU.
Both the European Parliament and the Council must formally adopt the provisional agreement before any new rules can enter into force.
