The Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU noted on Friday 29 March at a meeting with the ambassadors in the Committee of Permanent Representatives I (Coreper I) that there was not the qualified majority necessary to support the interinstitutional agreement reached on the Regulation on the coordination of social security systems.
“There is certainly is a majority... but it is not qualified”, the Romanian Presidency reportedly declared. And for good reason, 17 Member States supported the agreement, and a long list of Member States took the floor to this end, including Spain, Greece, France, Ireland, Slovenia, Portugal, Finland, Bulgaria, the United Kingdom, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, and Croatia, according to several diplomatic sources.
But a blocking minority has formed around the “like-minded”, namely Germany, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Austria, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Sweden and Belgium, according to our sources.
Belgium's vote surprised some observers: Brussels voted against a text presented and defended by a Belgian Commissioner, moreover from the same political party, the CD&V, as the Belgian minister responsible for the dossier, Kris Peeters.
The reasons given by this group remain the same: the export duration of unemployment benefits is considered too long (6 months and 15 months for frontier workers - see EUROPE 12217/5) and the legislative file is not mature enough for an agreement.
The Czech Republic reportedly flagged up the provisions concluded on the applicable legislation, in particular on prior notification before a worker is sent to another Member State and on extending the period of transition from the State of residence to the State of activity of the responsibility for social benefits for frontier workers (6 months in the agreement).
Hungary also reportedly mentioned the transition period, which was also too long in its view. The latter country abstained alongside Poland and Malta.
A qualified majority was within reach. According to one source, it would have sufficed for Poland or the Czech Republic and Sweden together to change their vote for the majority to swing in favour of the text.
It's not over yet
“Discussions will continue and the Council of the EU will work further towards updating legislation on this important issue for Europeans”, the Romanian Presidency told EUROPE. No precise timetable has been set for the time being.
On the European Parliament side, the vote on the agreement initially scheduled for 2 April in the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) has been cancelled. A meeting of the rapporteurs should be held on that day to determine the next steps.
On the Commission's side, it is a battleground. “We are following the discussions between the Member States on this file very closely”, confirmed the Social Affairs Spokesman, before adding that the Commission was doing everything possible to continue the negotiations. “The discussions are continuing at an intense pace”, explains an internal source, who hopes to have an agreement next week.
Rapporteur’s disappointment. “With this decision, which has far-reaching social consequences, Member States have prioritised budgetary selfishness and are reversing major advances for social rights and social protection in Europe”, MEP Guillaume Balas (S&D, France) declared with some bitterness, on the announcement of the Council of the EU's decision. It is his view that the rules of the game need to be changed, and in particular to abolish qualified majority voting. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)