The European Commission proposed concrete steps to further digitalize the coordination of social security systems in Europe, in a dedicated Communication.
The communication lays out actions to make access to social security services quicker and simpler across borders by making full use of digital tools, reducing administrative burden for citizens and business. This will improve the exchanges of information between national social security institutions and speed up the recognition and granting of eligible benefits across borders. It will thus make it easier for Europeans to live, work and travel abroad, for companies to do business in other EU countries, and for national administrations to coordinate social security across borders.
The Commission calls on Member States to:
- accelerate the national implementation of the Electronic Exchange of Social Security Information (EESSI) so that it is fully operational by the end of 2024 across Europe.
- deliver more social security coordination procedures fully online, to make it even easier for people to move and work abroad, and ensure they get fast access to their eligible benefits. Member States can build on the Single Digital Gateway Regulation, which foresees a fully online delivery of some important administrative procedures to citizens and businesses by 12 December 2023 at the latest.
- fully engage in the European Social Security Pass (ESSPASS) pilot activities, which explore how to simplify the issuance and verification of citizens’ social security entitlements across borders.
- work towards introducing EU Digital Identity (EUDI) wallets, which will allow EU citizens to carry digital versions of entitlement documents, such as the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).
The Commission will support EU Member States in implementing these actions by providing technical assistance, and making available EU funding, through different programs such as
Next steps : The Commission invites the European Parliament and the Council to endorse the approach set out in this Communication and calls on Member States and all stakeholders to work together to implement its actions. Advancing the digitalisation of social security coordination is also important in the context of ongoing negotiations by co-legislators on the revision of EU social security coordination rules. The Commission calls on the European Parliament and on the Council to swiftly reach an agreement on the revision, to modernise this legal framework, and will continue to support co-legislators to achieve this objective.
