The European Union has abolished the A1 certificate requirement for short-term business travel. The decision follows years of lobbying from business travel associations and policymakers who argued that the rule had become outdated in an increasingly mobile and digital economy.
The A1 certificate is the proof that an employee is covered by social security in his home country while working in another country. The provisional agreement was reached between the European Parliament and the Council on the revision of EU social security coordination rules. The measure is in the context of the guidance given by the EU commission to the commissioners to reduce bureaucracy in Europe.
The real problem of the certificate was that the social security institutions were hardly able to establish the form in the required time while on the other hand all insured EU citizens have a common health insurance card. In addition, it was nearly impossible to control if an A1 certificate was established. In the end, it was an administrative burden for those companies who bothered to follow the rules while not following them was nearly without consequences.
The decision .. highlights how long certain single market obstacles are allowed to persist before action is finally taken. Discussions on revising the legislation governing the A1 certificate date back to 2016, making this reform less a revolutionary breakthrough than the resolution of an issue that should have been addressed years ago.
Nevertheless, it sends a positive signal that EU institutions are prepared to tackle practical barriers to free movement.
EuroChambers
The A1 certificate is expected to remain in place for the construction sector, where labor mobility raises more complex questions linked to social protection, posting rules, safety standards, and informality. This balanced approach reflects the need to simplify procedures where possible while preserving safeguards in more sensitive sectors.
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Find the comments of EuroChambers here (EuroChambers is the representation of many national chambers of commerce, BMBC is represented via the Belgian Chamber system).
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