European Labour Authority welcomes the provisional agreement on the revision of EU social security coordination rules

The European Labour Authority (ELA) welcomes the provisional confirmation by Member States of the agreement on modernising social security coordination rules. ELA will actively support the European Commission and the Member States with the implementation of the new rules once adopted.

In practice, the new rules will mean stronger cooperation between national authorities and a better foundation for making free movement fair and well-functioning.

“Free movement is not just about the possibility to live and work anywhere in the European Union — it is also about the confidence that your rights travel with you.”

Background

The provisional agreement was reached between the European Parliament and the Council on the revision of Regulations (EC) No 883/2004 and No 987/2009 on the coordination of social security systems after years of complex negotiations. It strikes a balanced outcome between safeguarding workers’ rights, ensuring legal certainty for employers and administrations, and strengthening administrative cooperation between Member States. The revised framework introduces major changes in areas central to cross‑border mobility, including the determination of applicable legislation for posted and mobile workers, unemployment benefits, long‑term care benefits, family benefits and recovery mechanisms.

The compromise reached on the outstanding chapters introduces a general obligation of prior notification for posting, with targeted exemptions for business trips and very short activities, alongside specific safeguards for the construction sector. It also establishes a standard six‑month period for the export of unemployment benefits and sets a minimum continuous affiliation period of 22 weeks to link cross‑border workers to the Member State of their last activity.

In line with its mandate, ELA offers its support to Member States through a set of complementary actions, ranging from information and capacity building to enhanced cooperation and enforcement:

providing clear and accessible information to mobile workers, employers and national administrations on the revised rules, including rights and obligations;
supporting capacity building of Member State administrations through guidance and training to ensure consistent implementation;
facilitating effective administrative cooperation, including through the use of EESSI and other cooperation tools, to support timely and accurate information exchange between competent institutions; and
supporting effective and consistent enforcement, in particular by fostering common approaches among national authorities through working groups and concerted and joint inspections.

By supporting a smooth transition to the revised coordination framework, ELA will continue to promote fair labour mobility and effective social security coordination across the European Union.