ELA collects country-specific information on the impact of teleworking during the COVID-19 pandemic on the applicable social security

The COVID-19 crisis has led to the introduction of unprecedented measures across the EU Member States. In its latest Report, the European Labour Authority collected information on these EU measures aiming to facilitate a flexible approach to the applicable social security of teleworking cross-border workers.

The COVID-19 crisis has led to the introduction of unprecedented measures across the European Union Member States, including reintroduced checks at their internal borders which had and still have a severe impact on the EU labour mobility. With the aim to containing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and to safeguard public health, many Member States have adopted social distancing measures, including confinement measures with the consequence of an increase in telework (home-office) activities to prevent the spread of the virus. The increase in telework activities can be a source of concern for employers and workers (employees and self-employed persons) who reside in one Member State and work exclusively in another one, and for workers who carry out an activity in two or more Member States. This is mainly due to the sudden increase in professional activities carried out in a Member State (i.e. State of residence for instance), which in some cases is different from the one where the person is insured for social security (i.e. State where the worker usually works in normal circumstances) and thus may lead to a change in the applicable social security legislation. Several European Union countries have effectively taken measures in this regard to facilitate a flexible approach to the applicable social security of teleworking cross-border workers.

In this context, the European Labour Authority decided to collect more information on measures taken by the Member States during the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically to address the impact of teleworking on the applicable legislation and their expiry date. This affects especially cross-border workers who, due to border restrictions and other recommendations issued by national health authorities, cannot physically carry out their activity in the Member State where they are normally employed. Consequently, such workers have to telework from their Member State of residence, and such increase in teleworking can potentially lead to a change in the applicable social security legislation.

What is this Report about?

This Report provides an overview of measures and/or actions taken by the EU Member States to facilitate a flexible approach to the applicable social security for cross-border workers who telework from their country of residence instead of working in the usual place of employment abroad. It also explains different categories of cross-border workers who could be affected by the measures introduced by the Member States. In addition, the Report contains user-friendly country fiches which individuals can consult to find out more information based on their cross-border situation. The country fiches also provide the necessary contact details of the relevant national competent authorities should further assistance be required by workers or employers.

Read the full report and consult the country fiches here: https://europa.eu/!DVkTkM