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In a proposal put forward on Tuesday, the European Commission has set out plans for a digital European platform that citizens can use to get their working documents recognised across the bloc.
The aim of the platform, which will be known as the “European Social Security Pass”, is to overcome delays that cross-border workers face when they need to receive working documents or get them recognised in member states other than their home countries. Those delays often result in basic rights being violated.
With the new package, workers will be able to more easily claim their social security and health insurance benefits, as well as have their professional qualifications recognised in other EU countries without unnecessary red tape.
The proposals also aim to protect mobile workers and to address challenges faced by companies when recruiting talent from abroad within the EU.
“The single market must also become a genuine skills market with more opportunities for workers and businesses,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a press statement.
Commission data from 2024 showed that around 14 million Europeans lived in EU countries other than those they were born in; 10 million of them were of working age. A recent Eurobarometer survey, meanwhile, found that 18% of Europeans want to move abroad.
European Commission Vice-President for Social Rights Roxana Mînzatu told Euronews that a new EU platform will save “talented” people from “wasting their skills” when they move across EU borders.
The Commission estimates that the platform could deliver as much as €6 billion in benefits by 2040.
“Over 12 years, digitisation could save up to €64 million for businesses, €69 million for healthcare providers, and €72 million for labour inspectors through faster cross-border verification. Digital signatures could avoid up to €277 million in fraud over the same period,” the Commission said in a statement.