EU lawmakers have struck a provisional deal to update rules on how social security benefits work for people who live or work in a different EU country.
Negotiators from the European Parliament and the Council reached the agreement on Wednesday, covering coordination between national systems so that workers’ rights and countries’ responsibilities are clearer in cross-border cases, the parliamentary press service reported.
The proposed changes include updated rules on unemployment benefits for mobile workers, including the ability to “export” unemployment benefits when jobseekers move to another EU country.
“Export” in this context means continuing to receive an unemployment payment from one country while looking for work in another.
The deal also sets out clearer rules on family benefits and long-term care benefits. Long-term care benefits refer to support linked to ongoing care needs, such as assistance for people who cannot carry out everyday tasks without help.
Posted workers and fraud checks
The agreement would strengthen coordination and enforcement of social security rules for posted workers — employees sent by their employer to work temporarily in another EU country — the European Parliament said.
It also includes measures intended to help identify and tackle fraud, including so-called letterbox companies. Letterbox companies are firms that exist mainly on paper and can be used to exploit differences between countries’ rules.
EU countries would be able to cooperate more using a notification system, while employers would be able to access information and complete documents online, including via the Electronic Exchange of Social Security Information (EESSI).
Both the Parliament and the Council still need to formally adopt the agreement before the updated rules can enter into force.
