Twelve Member States sent a letter to the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU on Tuesday 18 March, expressing their desire to make progress on the revision of Regulation 883/2004 on the coordination of social security systems and asking it to work on a renewed mandate capable of launching new negotiations with the European Parliament “without any further delay”.
Led by France and Minister Astrid Panosyan-Bouvet, the ministers from Croatia, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Italy, Lithuania, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain stressed that this regulation is key in advancing the integration of the Internal Market and contributing to tackling the challenges identified both by Enrico Letta and Mario Draghi in their respective reports on the future of the Internal Market and EU competitiveness. This will encourage balanced mobility within the European Union. A global approach to worker mobility is of the utmost importance.
As far as the Council of the EU is concerned, “despite the differences of positions, the constructive spirit of the Member states and the readiness of a vast majority to resume the negotiations was expressed during the working party of January the 30th. The Member States are ready to explore, define and agree the parameters of a balanced compromise”.
Recalling how “sensitive and complex” this issue is, the ministers called for “a renewed approach and impetus”, saying they were “convinced that solutions can be found, based on a clear balance between the duties and responsibilities of all parties involved: workers, companies, as well as Member States”. They also assure the Presidency of their “political good will to make full use of this new momentum” and are counting on the Presidency to “to identify avenues to formalise a new mandate that will allow to engage discussions with the European Parliament without any further delay”.
On the morning of Wednesday 19 March, the Member States will discuss the next steps to be taken. To this end, the Presidency has provided a questionnaire dealing in particular with possible flexibilities on prior notification for postings in the construction sector, pluriactivity or the minimum period of affiliation for the payment of unemployment benefits to cross-border workers by the State of activity rather than the State of residence (see EUROPE 13600/15). (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)