The Slovenian Presidency of the EU Council recently circulated - on 9 November, according to information gleaned on Monday 15 November - a note in which it makes proposals on the regulation coordinating the social security system, notably to make progress on the thorny issue of prior notification.
On this issue of prior notification to the competent authorities of the host Member State before sending a worker, the Slovenian Presidency has agreed to make prior notification compulsory for the construction sector.
For other economic sectors, the terms are more flexible. If it is not possible for a company to send this notification before an employee starts work, the new wording gives it a three-day window to do so once the assignment has started.
However, the document remains vague and does not specify the mechanism by which this will be done, although the ‘Single Digital Gateway’, which will be operational by the end of 2023, is certainly the favoured option. The proposal thus remains completely open on the format of the notification.
It should be noted that the exemption for notifications for business trips is maintained.
As for the export of unemployment benefits, the Presidency suggests that entitlement should start after 6 months of contributions over a period of 24 months, whether interrupted or not, to allow the export of unemployment benefits for a period of 10 months, which is a step towards the European Parliament.
However, this is a note and not a renewed mandate from the EU Council. According to our information, this note is intended to prepare the ground for the French Presidency of the EU Council, which will take over at the beginning of 2022.
Inter-institutional negotiations on the regulation have made little progress under the Slovenian Presidency and have remained stalled since the Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council (see EUROPE 12748/10). (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)