What has been achieved so far?
- The Commission and EU countries have created the foundations of a modern, digitalised system for coordinating social security across borders. This makes it easier for authorities to exchange information and improves the way public bodies deliver their services to the public.
- The EESSI system has improved information exchange and cooperation between social security institutions.
- Work is also ongoing to simplify interactions between people working or running businesses in other EU countries and public bodies across Europe:
- thanks to the Single Digital Gateway Regulation, by December 2023, people and businesses should have access to three fully online social security coordination procedures where the output is delivered electronically
- the ESSPASS pilot project was launched to explore a digital solution for the issuance and cross-border verification of social security entitlements
Why is the Commission proposing action in this area?
EU rules already protect social security rights of citizens moving within Europe and make sure they get access to eligible benefits. Digitalisation can help to apply these rules more efficiently. This initiative lays the groundwork for possible future steps to further facilitate, through digitalisation, the lives of mobile citizens and reduce burden on businesses and national authorities dealing with cross-border social security. This will also contribute to Europe’s digital transition.
How will more digitalisation help social security coordination?
Digitalisation will improve coordination between social security systems and help address challenges faced by citizens, businesses and public bodies, for example:
- People living or running businesses in other EU countries often face challenges when they interact with social security institutions and other public bodies. The processes to certify and verify social security entitlements can be time-consuming and often rely on the exchange of physical documents (these are also known as ‘portable documents'’, including the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). Companies may be confronted with administrative costs and hurdles, in particular when sending their employees to work temporarily abroad.
- Social security institutions often have difficulties accessing and sharing information due to insufficient interoperability between national systems . There are also costs linked to e.g. verifying entitlements, issuing or replacing documents, fraud and errors linked to portable documents or inappropriate use of the EHIC.
What are the main actions proposed by the Commission?
The Commission’s plans aim to:
- promote citizens-centred digitalisation of social security coordination by:
- providing seamless digital experiences for people travelling, moving and working in other EU countries or running businesses abroad when they interact with public bodies
- delivering efficient, digital, interoperable cross-border public services that are easy to access and use
- improve cooperation and exchange of social security information between institutions
Actions include:
- completion of the implementation of EESSI by end 2024 at the latest and continuous improvement of the existing system
- further commitment among EU countries to ESSPASS activities and, based on results, an assessment by the Commission on its potential large‑scale deployment
- digitalisation of other procedures, aside from those to be digitised under the Single Digital Gateway Regulation, by 2025, for example, in the fields of unemployment benefits, accidents at work and occupational diseases and healthcare
- improved data exchange and interoperability in cross-border contexts
- sustained investment in automating processes for social security coordination cases
- analysis of simplification opportunities for seamless digital experiences for people living and working abroad in the EU
- annual high-level meetings with Member States to monitor and support progress
How will more digitalisation in this area benefit people, businesses and public bodies?
For citizens moving within Europe:
- seamless and smoother access to public services, including quicker access to documents to prove their social security rights abroad
- digital documents in electronic wallets for easier entitlement recognition and full control and ownership of personal data by the person concerned
- easier to exercise social security rights in other countries, such as unplanned healthcare treatment abroad
- faster and more secure processing of social security benefit claims
For social security institutions and other public bodies:
- improved efficiency and better quality of social security services, including cross-border services
- trusted digital verification of social security entitlements, reducing costs and the risk of errors and fraud
- improved cooperation and better access to and sharing of social security data, including across borders, subject to strict data protection and security rules
For businesses providing services abroad:
- easier administrative procedures and interactions with social security institutions, including online requesting and issuing of documents, e.g. when sending their employees to work in another EU country
What are the rights you currently have with the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)? Will any of this change under the new initiative?
The measures proposed in the Communication will not result in any change in the EU rules on social security coordination. EHIC will continue to give you access to medically necessary, state-provided healthcare in any of the 27 EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland or the United Kingdom, under the same conditions and at the same cost as people insured in that country.
What are the next steps regarding ESSPASS – will this become compulsory for Member States?
Two consortia of EU countries’ institutions, with the financial support from the Commission, are currently piloting the issuing and verification of the A1 certificate and the European Health Insurance Card. Based on the outcomes of the pilot activities, which should be finalised in 2025, the Commission will decide on the next steps, including on the feasibility of deploying ESSPASS in all EU countries and whether this would need a new legislative framework.
More information on the European Social Security Pass.
What is the state of play regarding the Electronic Exchange of Social Security Information (EESSI) system? How many Member States have joined?
After several years of implementation, EESSI is operational in all 32 participating countries (EU27, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom) and 13 of them (BG, DK, EE, FR, CY, LV, HU, MT, PT, SE and IS, NO and UK) are able to exchange in all social security areas and branches. 18 countries have achieved more than 90% of implementation. Thanks to EESSI, social security institutions have handled more rapidly and securely more than 16 million social security cases of people traveling, living, studying, retiring and/or working in another country since 2019.
The Commission will keep helping Member States’ implementation and provides a quarterly monitoring and reporting of national efforts on the Europa website of DG Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion.
What other digital initiatives are there to support free movement and fair labour mobility?
Single Digital Gateway Regulation
The Single Digital Gateway Regulation asks EU countries to enable, by 12 December 2023, citizens and businesses to access and complete 21 administrative processes fully online through the Your Europe website and receive the output electronically.
The processes relating to social security coordination are:
- request for determination of applicable social security legislation;
- applications for a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).
- claiming pension.
The ‘Once Only Technical System’ is being developed for the cross-border exchange of documents and information needed for the 21 procedures. The aim is to reuse information already held in electronic format by other administrations in Europe.
European Digital Identity framework
The European Digital Identity (EUDI) framework will make it easier for people and businesses in the EU to access public and private services across borders. EU countries will issue harmonised EU digital identity wallets, enabling individuals and companies to voluntarily store and share their data and digital documents. This framework could also be applied to social security coordination.
To test the digital identity wallets, large-scale pilots are being conducted with support from the Digital Europe Programme. A group of institutions from different countries is currently piloting, among other things, the issuing and verification of the A1 certificate and the European Health Insurance Card.
More information on how ESSPASS intends to build on the EUDI framework.
Interoperable Europe Act proposal
The proposed Interoperable Europe Act aims to set up a cooperation framework for public administrations across the EU to agree on common, interoperable solutions. Both people and businesses will benefit from more efficient public services, thanks to better interconnected digital public administrations and improved data sharing across all sectors and EU countries.
The European Data Strategy
The European strategy for data, introduced in 2020, aims, among other things, at facilitating the sharing of data between public authorities. This contributes to improving public services, but also to reduce the administrative burden on mobile citizens and companies operating in the single market.
Actions focuses on:
- a cross-sectoral governance framework for data access and use
- technological systems and infrastructure
- improving digital skills
- promoting European data spaces in strategic sectors
European Tracking Service for pensions
The European Tracking Service (ETS) is being developed, with the support of the Commission, to provide people at any point in their career with information on their pension rights in the Member States where they have worked.
The ETS does not replace the need for individuals who have worked in multiple countries to claim their pensions at the end of their careers, in line with EU social security coordination rules. Social security institutions use the EESSI system to exchange information for pension calculations. Citizens receive a P1 form, which is an official summary and calculation of their pension rights.
Project on labour and social ID cards
In various countries, labour or social identity cards have been introduced to ensure compliance with labour law requirements for workers, including those who work across different countries. The EU social partners in the construction sector are exploring the potential for interoperability between these cards, with the financial support of the Commission.
The European Platform Tackling Undeclared Work within the European Labour Authority is also assessing the effectiveness of social ID cards as a tool to combat undeclared work.
Internal Market Information system and e-Declaration for posting workers abroad
The Internal Market Information system (IMI) helps authorities to cooperate across borders and meet their obligations in various areas, including under the EU legislation on posting workers abroad.
What is the e-Declaration for posting workers?
The Commission and Member States are working to develop a common electronic form (e-Declaration) that countries can choose to use voluntarily when posting workers abroad. The aim is to reduce the administrative burden on service providers and make it easier for the relevant authorities to exchange information. It could also help combat fraud and abuse of the system.
Posting workers in the road transport sector
Directive (EU) 2020/1057 introduced specific administrative and control requirements for posting drivers in the road transport sector. Road transport operators must submit a posting declaration through the multilingual 'Road Transport - Posting Declaration’ website, which is connected to the IMI system.
e-Health initiatives
Under the upcoming European Health Data Space, the Commission and Member States aim to enable the full use of the digital infrastructure ‘MyHealth@EU’ across Europe for exchanging ePrescriptions, summaries of patient information, laboratory results, hospital discharge reports and medical images.
This could help to simplify administrative procedures linked to the reimbursement of cross-border healthcare costs under the Directive on the application of patients’ rights in cross-border healthcare.
In 2023, MyHealth@EU is already operational in eleven Member States with ePrescription and patient summary services.
European Blockchain Services Infrastructure
The European Blockchain Services Infrastructure (EBSI) is an initiative of the European Commission and the European Blockchain Partnership. Its purpose is to support the delivery of cross-border public services using blockchain technologies.
EBSI can be used to store information in a trusted, decentralised way. It enables new forms of verification, traceability, and transparency for individuals when interacting with public services in the EU. ESSPASS was selected as one of the use cases to be piloted on EBSI.