In 2024, difficulties relating to social security (28% of the total) and residence (21% of the total) were the main obstacles encountered by European citizens who used the ‘Your Europe Advice’ legal advice service run by the European Citizen Action Service (ECAS) on behalf of the European Commission.
With regard to social security, the questions asked mainly concerned: - the country where European citizens can assert their rights; - health, illness and maternity; - retirement and old age.
“Citizens frequently struggle to navigate the complex process of identifying the responsible country. Once identified, accessing social security benefits remains challenging due to bureaucratic hurdles. Poor communication and insufficient cooperation between national authorities exacerbate these difficulties, leading to significant delays and frustration for citizens”, highlights ECAS in its annual report.
The organisation recommends better training for national civil servants on the applicable EU legislation, as well as the widespread use of the EESSI IT system to facilitate cross-border administrative cooperation.
Questions about residence in the EU focused on family rights and residence permits.
The authors of the study note that the rights enjoyed by non-European family members of a European citizen are an increasingly important issue.
In 2024, the advisory service received requests alleging incorrect interpretation of EU law by national authorities or complication of the procedure for obtaining a residence permit through the addition of administrative barriers. Although Directive 2004/38 requires residence permits to be issued as soon as possible, many applicants face “lengthy delays”, it notes.
Across the 26,753 questions processed, the countries most affected were Germany, Spain, France, Italy and Portugal.
Link to the 2024 report of the ‘Your Europe Advice’ service: https://aeur.eu/f/jhv (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)