The European Commission distributed a long Note to national delegations, obtained by EUROPE on Tuesday 15 December, which put forward the promotion of an electronic solution for facilitating the prior notification of the posting of a worker envisaged within the framework of the negotiating box on Regulation 883/2004 pertaining to the coordination of social security systems.
The Note details the presentation by the Director-General of the Commission's DG for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL) and its objective is to help the German Presidency of the EU Council to unblock inter-institutional negotiations within the European Parliament, which have been blocked since December 2019 (see EUROPE 12387/18).
For example, the European Commission believes that a digital solution could make the administrative procedures for producing and receiving the A1 form between competent authorities in the Member States less cumbersome, while also helping to more effectively combat errors and fraud. To this end, it cites the Estonian and Belgian cases as examples, which are known for their particularly efficient digital system.
The institution wants to build on the Electronic Exchange of Social Security Information (EESSI), an IT system which was developed by the European Commission over the past 10 years to help social security bodies exchange information more quickly and securely.
Despite delays in its implementation, the system now links 31 countries and covers about 2,000 social security institutions (out of an estimated 6,000). In some instances, the system has reduced the processing time to 20 minutes (compared to a previous timeframe of several days), according to the European Commission.
The other tool is the Single Digital Gateway, the online access point to all Single Market related information, help and advice services for cross-border activities for businesses and citizens, which is due to be implemented among Member States by 2024.
In conclusion, the European Commission therefore proposes that it should have the right to adopt acts that draw up technical specifications, in particular in terms of regulating the format of the information provided through the digital system.
The German Presidency of the Council of the EU intends to discuss Regulation 883/2004 at a working group meeting on Monday, 21 September. The aim would be to resume negotiations with the European Parliament on 30 September, which have been at a standstill since December 2019.
To consult the European Commission's note: https://bit.ly/2RvoT7Q (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)