trESS SeminarBucharest, 3 November 2011

« Recent developments in the coordination of social security at EU level »

Rob Cornelissen and Felix Schatz

DG Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion, European Commission

Legal framework

19591959 19721972 2010201019681968

Regulation 492/11

Social security coordination

Free movement of workers

20042004

Reg 987/2009Reg 987/2009

Reg 1408/71

Reg 883/2004

Regulations 3 & 4

Directive 2004/38

Reg 859/2003

Reg 1231/2010 Extension to 3rd country nationals

Reg 574/72

Directive 68/360Regulation 1251/70

20112011

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Overview

Legislative Developments: Recent and Foreseen

Recent and current work of the Administrative Commission

Future Developments

Developing coordination with non-EU countries

Recent Case-Law - a quick glimpse!

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New Regulation 1231/2010

Commision proposal 2007 to extend scope of Reg 883/2004 to TCN; no progress until 2010

1.12.2009: Lisbon Treaty: Article 79 2) TFEU: co-decision and qualified majority in Council!

Entered into force on 1 January 2011 No exceptions for AT/D on family benefits Replaces Reg 859/2003, except for UK Does not apply with regard to DK Does not apply with regard to Switzerland and EEA-

Xhymshiti judgment (Dec 2010)

Application of Regulations to EEA and Switzerland

• EEA Agreement, Revised Annex VI adopted on 1 July 2011 and expected to enter into force end 2011/beginning 2012

• EU-CH Agreement, Revised Annex II, final agreement still outstanding; not likely to enter into force before 2012

• Legal basis of related Council Decisions:– For EEA: Article 48 TFEU– For Switzerland: Article 79(2) TFEU– Grimme judgement ( November 2009)

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Miscellaneous Amendments 2010

Clarification and Amendments to Annexes

Rectification of Article 13 (1) of Reg. 883/2004

Use of “Homebase” for flying personnel

Closing gap for certain unemployed self-employed frontier workers (Article 65 (5) of Reg. 883/2004)

Declaration by Member States at EPSCO June 2011

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Decisions of the Administrative Commission

• Revised Decisions and Recommendations– OJ C 106, 24.4.2010, p. 1– OJ C 107, 27.4.2010, p. 3– see Decision H1 for details

• New Decisions, particularly:– H5: cooperation on combating fraud and error (OJ C 149,

8.6.2010, p. 5)– H6: application of Article 6 of Regulation (EC) No 883/2004

(OJ C 45, 12.2.2011, p.5)– S8: substantial benefits in kind – Article 33 of Regulation

(EC) No 883/2004 (OJ C 262, 6.9.2011, p. 6)

• New Practical Guide on applicable legislation (replaces the Posting Guide)

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Decisions of the Administrative Commission

• Decision H6:– irrelevant whether periods are contributory or only

equivalent under national law– no questioning of value of periods– aggregation of periods (Article 6 BR) vs “other conditions”

(Point 3 of the Decision)– assimilation of facts (Article 5 BR) – should not interfere

with aggregation (Recital 10 BR) – “other conditions”

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Current work of the Administrative Commission

• Reimbursement of unemployment benefits granted to former frontier workers– Article 65(6) and (7) of Regulation (EC) No 883/2004

• Relationship with other EU law instruments– Directive 2011/24/EU on patients’ rights in cross-border

healthcare– Directive 2004/38/EC on the right of citizens of the Union

and their family members to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States

– forthcoming instruments on the residence of third-country nationals in the territory of the Member States

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Current work of the Administrative Commission

• Child-raising periods– Article 44 of Regulation (EC) No 987/2009– Working Party of the AC on 14 April 2011– Ad-hoc group mandated to further reflect and report back to

the AC

• Electronic Exchange of Social Security Information (EESSI)– EESSI progress report– Decision E3 of 19 October 2011 extending the transitional

period by two years (until 30 April 2014)– Continued work on the SEDs (Structured Electronic

Documents)

EESSI High-level Architecture

MemberState 1

MemberState 2

CI

CI

MemberState 4

CI

CI

CI

CI

CI CICI CICI

CI

CI

Member State 3

CI

CI

CI

MemberState “n”

CI

CI

CI

CoordinationNode CI Competent

InstitutionAccessPoint

NationalNetwork

NationalNetwork

NationalNetwork

NationalNetwork

sTESTA

EESSIInternational Network

NationalNetwork

NationalNetwork

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• Linking coordination better to the EU agenda (mobility of the unemployed, White Paper on pensions, SPC actions)

• Reflection on how to better coordinate of long-term care benefits

• Reflection on new trends in the social and economic environment

Outlook on future work

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Developing Coordination with Non-EU countries

Implementation of Agreements with Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Croatia, FYROM and Israel - EU negotiation position adopted in October 2010

Content• Equal Treatment• Export of Pensions• Reciprocity clause for EU citizens• Cooperation and Verification

Forthcoming Communication on the External Dimension of EU social security coordination and proposals for implementation of agreements with Albania, Montenegro, San Marino and Turkey (Akdas judgment!)

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Recent Case-Law

Case C-503/09 Lucy Stewart: compatibility of a residence requirement with Article 21 TFEU

Case C-388/09 Da Silva Martins: exportability of long-term care benefits

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• Commission‘s website– http://ec.europa.eu/social-security-coordination– Links to legislation, official documents– Practical guide on applicable legislation– “Small Guide“ on citizen‘s rights– Explanatory notes

• trESS network– http://www.tress-network.org– trESS seminars

Information sources

Campaign