EESC opinion: Coordination of social security systems – Annex XI

EESC opinion: Coordination of social security systems – Annex XI

Key points:

The EESC:

  • believes that it would be advisable to work to ensure that the new regulation on the coordination of Member States' social security systems comes into force as quickly as possible, which would also involve the draft implementing regulation taking effect without delay and agreement being reached on the regulation under consideration here, which lays down the content of Annex XI of Regulation 883/2004;
  • acknowledges that certain entries in Annex XI concerning particular facts in Member States are necessary to ensure that there is no conflict between national rules and the text of Regulation 883/2004. The Committee requests, however, that the entries do not proliferate and that their number is kept to a minimum;
  • emphasises that under no circumstances should the process of coordination lead to a situation whereby entries included in Annex XI work to the disadvantage of the public;
  • underlines that, in its view, the approved entries do not present any obvious problems, either for insured persons moving from one country to another or for businesses and social security institutions;
  • acknowledges the successful efforts of all those involved to simplify Annex XI. As a result, it contains far fewer entries than the equivalent annex (Annex VI) to the current coordinating Regulation 1408/71;
  • calls on the Member States to provide their social security institutions, without delay, with the necessary human and technical resources.