This week brought a huge leap forward for the freedom of movement of workers in a well-functioning single market, as a new EU deal brings long-awaited clarity to social security coordination across the EU.
It will soon be easier for people who work or live in another EU country to access the rights and benefits they are entitled to, without excessive barriers, after the European Parliament’s Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) endorsed the latest agreement,
Workers, businesses and national administrations will all benefit from these clearer and more modern EU rules which serve to protect a person’s social rights – including sickness, parental, retirement and unemployment benefits – while moving within the EU, EEA and Switzerland.
The new rules improve the protection of workers outside their member state and extend the length of unemployment benefit across borders. The new rules make the member state of employment responsible for supporting cross-border workers who lose their job and modernise provisions on long-term care and family benefits.
While Renew Europe says it is regrettable that this agreement has been in deadlock for nearly a decade, liberals can be proud to have been a proactive player in ensuring that an interinstitutional agreement has finally been reached.
Jana Toom MEP (EE), represented Renew Europe in the negotiations:
"The millions of Europeans who work abroad are not only vital contributors to their host economies but also the living engine of European integration. The new rules we finally have agreed on makes the experience for mobile workers and the countries involved simpler and fairer while it reinforces our Single Market.”