The Twenty-Seven approve a reform that determines which country pays unemployment benefits to cross-border workers. The country where at least 22 weeks of work was done will be responsible in certain cases.
Spanish workers who cross the border daily to work in Gibraltar will see changes in the rules that decide which country assumes their unemployment benefits. The Council of the European Union gave its final approval on Monday to a reform of the coordination of social security systems, as reported by lavozdigital.es. The regulation introduces new criteria for cross-border workers and establishes that, in certain circumstances, the state where work was done for at least 22 weeks will be responsible for paying unemployment benefits.
The review also extends the period during which an unemployed person can continue to receive benefits from their country while moving to another member state to look for work from three to six months. The text also clarifies which administration should take charge of family benefits and those intended for people needing long-term assistance when more than one country is involved, and specifies access to certain social aids for EU citizens who are not working.
“The new provisions do not change the national social security systems or the benefits offered by each state, but rather the way they are coordinated when a citizen moves within the EU”
The regulation also affects workers temporarily sent by a company to another member state and those who carry out their activities in several countries, with new provisions to determine which social security legislation applies to them. In the case of work assignments, companies must continue to generally inform the authorities when sending an employee to another country, although this obligation will not apply to trips of up to three days within a 30-day period. In sectors such as construction, stricter controls will be maintained.
The reform also includes measures against possible non-compliance by companies, changes in the criteria for determining when a person works in several member states, and a strengthening of information exchange between national administrations.
National authorities will continue to decide who is covered by their legislation, what benefits are granted, and what requirements are needed to access them. European rules determine which country should take responsibility for these rights when more than one member state is involved.
With Monday's approval, the Twenty-Seven complete the adoption of a reform agreed with the European Parliament last April after years of negotiations. The regulation will come into force once published in the Official Journal of the European Union.
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