EU governments and the European Parliament have agreed in principle on new rules to let companies file declarations for posted workers through a fully digital EU system.
Posted workers are employees sent by their employer to provide a service in another EU member state on a temporary basis, the Council of the EU announced on Tuesday night.
Under the provisional deal, the European Commission would be required to create a multilingual public online interface that companies could use to declare a posting.
Member states would be able to choose whether to use the EU interface or keep their national systems, but if they opt in they would have to use the EU interface exclusively and could not require extra declarations.
The agreement keeps the system voluntary and limits it to company workers posted within the EU as set out in the Posted Workers Directive.
Member states would also be allowed to use the interface for declarations by third-country service providers sending workers temporarily.
Standard online form and platform features
The European Commission would also be tasked with adopting a standard online form with a common set of information requirements, the Council said.
Countries using the standard form would not be able to request additional data, although they could choose not to require all of the information listed.
The online interface would include a function allowing service providers to upload relevant documents for posted workers, replacing existing national procedures for submitting documents.
The system is also expected to include technical validation of data, tools for communication between authorities and service providers, and access for posted workers to receive electronic extracts of their declarations, while respecting personal data protection rules.
The Council stated that the provisional agreement now needs to be endorsed and formally adopted by both institutions.
The system is one of the first deliverables under the “One Europe, One Market” roadmap signed on 24 April 2026 by the European Parliament, the Council and the European Commission, with a deadline of June 2026 for the e-declaration measure.
About 3.6 million postings involving around 2.6 million workers are estimated in the EU, and around 1.2 million workers are active in two or more member states, according to the European Labour Authority.
The Commission estimates companies could save 73% of the time needed to complete posting declarations using the electronic standard form compared with the current EU average, and service providers’ cost savings from reduced administrative burden are estimated at 58%.
