The Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU has not yet scheduled a political discussion on Regulation 883/2004 on the coordination of social security schemes and is still considering the best way to proceed, according to several sources on Tuesday 18 February.
While last week the Presidency had planned to seek the views of the Member States on Wednesday 19 February, it is now reflecting in depth on the way forward and wants to “make the right choices”, according to one source. Meanwhile, the Commission, when preparing its 2025 work programme, hesitated to withdraw the text, which has been on the table since 2016.
These internal discussions within the College are said to have had an impact on the thinking of the Polish Presidency, which organised an initial working group on 30 January (see EUROPE 13570/15). At the time, several sources even confirmed new openings for a possible agreement on the outstanding chapters.
The reform has hit a stumbling block in the chapters relating to unemployment benefits for cross-border workers and prior notification for the posting of workers.
In 2024, the Belgian Presidency wanted to set aside the reform and validate the elements that had achieved a consensus. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)