Social security coordination

Social security coordination in the European Union is a legal framework designed to facilitate the free movement of EU citizens across Member States while ensuring the protection of their social security rights. Established on the principles of equal treatment, export of benefits, insurance in a single country at a time and the aggregation of insurance records, this coordination mechanism enables individuals to access social security benefits in a manner that transcends national borders.

Around 5.5 million attestations of insurance coverage (PD A1) are issued each year to workers in cross-border situations (reference year 2023). More than 253 million European Health Insurance Cards are in circulation and over 6.3 million pensions are transferred to persons residing in a different European country (reference year 2023).

ELA serves as a platform for the exchange of information and good practices, promoting consistency and cooperation among diverse national social security systems. ELA’s activities aim to facilitate collaboration among Member States' authorities, ensuring the effective implementation of EU social security regulations. The Authority also improves access to information on rights and obligations on social security coordination for individuals and employers. In addition, ELA supports the enforcement of social security legislation in Member States through the organisation of joint and concerted inspections and it carries out analysis and risk assessment.

Ongoing activities

ELA supports a diverse range of activities related to social security:

support of implementation of Electronic Exchange of Social Security Information (the EESSI system) with the PROGRESS programme, including workstreams on trainings, good practices sharing, national implementation mapping and end user support;
cooperation and joint projects with the Administrative Commission for Coordination of Social Security Systems;
strategic analysis and risk assessment studies on selected topics in the field of social security coordination, such as fraud and error, new patterns of work, and cross-border digital services;
coordination and support of cross-border inspections related to social security;
improve access to information concerning social security coordination through awareness-raising campaigns informing individuals and employers of their rights and obligations, (peer or expert) reviews of European and national online information sources, translation of information, local information events and updates of EURES portal information on living and working conditions;
training of national authorities and EURES advisers on social security coordination;
promotion of bilateral and multilateral collaboration between Member States' social security authorities

Timeline

2025
August
ELA report on national cross-border digital tools and services in the field of EU social security coordination. The study provides a comprehensive overview of how Member States are progressing in their digitalisation efforts within the social security sector, with a specific focus on the needs of mobile citizens and cross-border cases.
2025
May
Launch of an online PROGRESS Portal which supports Member States in their implementation of the EESSI system. The Portal contains 3 modules: on Good Practices, Mapping national EESSI implementation landscapes, Testing Partners and is open to digitalisation experts from Member States.
Workshop on 15 – 16 May in Rome presenting the new agreement between Italy and France on bulk data exchange and data matching in the field of unemployment benefits and other ways of combating fraud and error in the field of social security by mutual cooperation of Member States.
2025
April
ELA Labour Mobility Lab focused on social security aspects of labour mobility in Greece on 29 – 30 April. The meeting addressed Greek authorities involved in information or services provision to mobile workers.
2025
March
Publication of the ELA study on Fraud and error and selected issues in the field of social security coordination. The study is ELA’s contribution to the joint project between ELA and the Administrative Commission and enhances the understanding of challenges related to fraud and error in social security coordination.
Launch of the ELA e-learning platform that provides online courses on EU labour mobility and social security coordination. The platform allows students to learn at their own pace, in multiple EU languages and obtain a certificate after successfully completing the course.
2024
Overview
December: Completion of the first four peer reviews of national webpages on registration and payment of social security contributions (Netherlands, Austria, Finland, Spain), under the joint ELA–Administrative Commission project.
September: Review of Your Europe portal pages and European Commission content on social security coordination, from both citizen and enterprise perspectives.
May: Launch of the PROGRESS training programme on EESSI support, and first ELA Call for peer reviews with the Administrative Commission/national authorities.
January: Sharing of the first inventory of national information resources on registration and payment of social security contributions with the Administrative Commission.
2021-2023
Overview
2023, June: ELA and Administrative Commission’s joint project on improvement of information resources in the field of registering for insurance and payment of contributions launched.
2022, July: ELA mapping exercise regarding access to employment and social security for displaced persons coming from Ukraine.
2021, July: ELA report on the impact of teleworking during the Covid-19 pandemic on the applicable social security.

EU Legal Framework

Relevant EU legislation in ELA's mandate:

Regulation 883/2004 on the coordination of social security systems
Regulation 987/2009 laying down the procedure for implementing Regulation (EC) No 883/2004 on the coordination of social security systems
Regulation 1231/2010 extending Regulation (EC) No 883/2004 and Regulation (EC) No 987/2009 to nationals of third countries who are not already covered by these Regulations solely on the ground of their nationality
Regulation 2016/589 on a European network of employment services (EURES)

Resources

Cooperation Agreement between AC and ELA [EN]

English (379.81 KB - PDF)

Ongoing activities

Timeline

EU Legal Framework

Resources

Publications