European Employment Ministers will be meeting up in Brussels on Friday 3 March to debate, for the first time, the new review of European rules governing the coordination of social security systems. They will also examine the revised directive on the posting of workers and hold a debate on the European Semester budgetary process.
This Council of the EU meeting will begin with a debate on the revision of the 883//2004 regulation on the coordination of social security systems and the 987/2009 regulation setting out the modalities for applying the former. This revision was proposed by the European Commission at the end of 2016 (see EUROPE 11688). The proposed amendments can be regrouped in four different areas: unemployment benefits, - long-term care benefits, - economically inactive mobile citizens and - family benefits for posted workers.
The Council working party recently began work on this review, which will take time. It is complicated and will certainly not be finished before the end of the Maltese Presidency of the Council (at the end of June). The complexity of the dossier is due to the number of amendments proposed, their characteristics, the link with the simultaneous review of the 1996 directive on posted workers and the sensitivities of member states on a range of other questions.
One of the most difficult aspects of this review of the two regulations, according to one diplomat, is, paradoxically, not due to the Commission proposal and involves the idea of providing member states with the possibility of index linking family benefits on the quality of life and benefits in the country where the children of migrant workers reside. This idea was put on the table to convince the British to remain in the Union and was then abandoned. It still has the support of Germany, Denmark and Austria, which are currently attempting to reactivate it.
This initial debate was prepared by the Maltese Presidency and aims to tackle a number of decisive points. The ministers are called on to give their views on the following issues: Will the proposed codification of the recent case law concerning access by economically inactive citizens to social security benefits in the host member state contribute to increasing legal clarity? Do the proposed changes relating to the portable document A1 facilitate better enforcement of the existing social security rules? Which other measures in this area could contribute to achieving that goal? Do the proposed amendments adequately address the problems identified in the impact assessment? Are there any other problems which the proposal has not addressed?
On the initiative of France, Ministers are then expected to briefly tackle the question of posted workers, despite the Council working party’s progress made on the technical aspect of the draft revision of the directive (see EUROPE 11724). The Maltese Presidency is still seeking to obtain a political agreement at the June Council and is due to present ministers with a balance sheet of the state of negotiations.
Over an informal lunch, ministers will examine reform of EU legislation and policy on Health and safety at work.
In the afternoon, the Council will hold a policy debate on the European Semester 2017. It will discuss how to enhance labour market access and is expected to adopt conclusions on the 2017 annual growth survey and joint employment report. The Commission will present the Council with an overview of the 2017 country reports.
The Maltese Presidency and the Commission will also inform the Council about preparations for the Tripartite Social Summit to be held on 8 March.
Finally, the Council is expected to adopt conclusions “on enhancing the skills of women and men in the EU labour market”. (Original version in French by Jan Kordys)