Negotiations on the regulation for coordinating social security systems have been delayed. The vote was initially planned for the employment and social affairs committee (EMPL) in June but has been postponed until after the summer break, to 24 September.
The technical nature and difficulty of the negotiations on the different chapters of the regulation are the main reason for the negotiations. MEPs are currently dealing with the chapter on social benefits. Just like the Council (see EUROPE 12041), MEPs are also expecting difficult negotiations on the question of cross-border workers.
MEPs currently appear to be shifting towards the scrapping of the chapter on long-term care benefits introduced by the European Commission. The maximum postings period will be set at 18 months, in relation to the negotiations on the posted workers directive (see EUROPE 11972). The posted worker in question would therefore also have to prove that he has a subscription to the national security system in the member state where he resides, three months before the posting.
One innovation will be subject to discussions: in the event of any doubts regarding the validity of a social security system certificate or in the absence of this being transmitted from the issuing member state to the receiving member state, MEPs appear to be considering a deposit system based on the deductible contributions transferable from the issuing member state to the member state hosting the posted worker.
The question of family indexing, one of the demands sought by the shadow rapporteur, Sven Schulze (EPP, Germany) (see EUROPE 11971), is expected to be tackled at the end of the negotiations.
At the Council, ministers are expected to adopt a general approach on Thursday 21 June in Luxembourg, as part of the Employment and Social Policy Council (EPSCO) (see other article). (Original version French by Pascal Hansens)