Brussels, 14/02/2011 (Agence Europe) - At the invitation of the European Parliament information office and the Europe Direct satellite from the Limburg region of Belgium, Belgian MEPs Ivo Belet (EPP) and Frieda Brepoels (Greens/EFA), together with the Belgian Federal MP (and former Minister for Social Affairs) Peter Vanvelthoven (Dutch speaking Socialist), held a meeting last Friday on the complaint lodged by around 20,000-25,000 cross-border workers in Neerpelt. Their complaint involves the lack of cooperation in the tax field between member states and significant social security system disparities. This complaint was lodged despite improvements and simplifications included in the new European regulation on the coordination of social security for cross-border workers, explained Ger Essers, expert and adviser to Dutch MEP Ria Oomen-Ruijten (EPP).
Peter Vanvelthoven proposed that a permanent committee on cross-border work be set up, in which unions and employers, as well as social security and tax officials, could work together in an effort to find structural solutions.
Cross-border workers provided an example of the kind of difficulties being experienced, and they referred to the case of a Belgian worker employed in the Netherlands. If the latter is unable to work in the Netherlands and is compensated through Dutch invalidity benefits, pension contributions are no longer guaranteed. In other cases, if an employer based in the Netherlands takes on an employee who has to carry out his work partially in Belgium, he is obliged to comply with Belgian social security obligations, explains an EP press release with this. (G. B./transl.fl)