The Independet, 17 May 2010
New EU regulations on social security coordination entered into force on 1 May, replacing regulations which had been in place since the early 1970s, and which Malta has applied since it joined the EU in 2004.
The aim is to make life easier for Europeans on the move. The rules apply not only to workers and their families, but will also help pensioners, jobseekers and tourists.
The new regulations do not create any new entitlements to social security, but guarantee that rights in the area of sickness insurance, pensions, unemployment and family benefits are preserved in the event of moving within Europe, the Department of Information said.
The main changes guarantee more and better information which must be provided actively and delivered rapidly by the social security institutions in member states. Services provided must be user-friendly. Institutions should communicate with the citizen in a way that can be easily understood.
Simpler and more efficient procedures should lead to quicker and simpler services for citizens, cutting red tape and reducing the administrative burden for public services.
A major new information network, the EESSI (Electronic Exchange of Social Security Information) will be launched. This will enable institutions in different countries to exchange information electronically. The new system will eliminate around 2,000 paper forms and the formalities to be completed by citizens will be streamlined.
More people can benefit through this updated coordination system which has a broader scope since, besides workers and their families, it covers people who are currently out of work, not yet in work or no longer working – so more people will benefit.
The provisions cover anyone who moves to another EU country to settle permanently, work temporarily or study, and even those who are travelling for a holiday. Mobile workers, jobseekers, retired people and tourists alike will benefit from the system.
Work is now well under way on the creation of the EESSI network and the preparation of the electronic messages containing the information required for the calculation and payment of benefits. To take account of the needs of certain EU countries to adapt their own systems, provision has been made for a transition period of two years for the electronic exchange of data. By 1 May, 2012, however, all EU countries should be using this technique to exchange information between social security institutions and for all areas covered by coordination. Training activities are ongoing in Malta as in all of the member states. The European Commission is lending its support to these efforts.
Staff in the International Relations Unit at Malta’s Department of Social Security has undergone training in the new rules and work is progressing so that Malta will be fully integrated into the proposed EESSI system within the two-year time period allowed.
http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=106229
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