The EU Rules
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​Social protection measures for dependent and self-employed workers are a national competence, as they have the management of public resources for social interventions. However, the EU decided common standards or common policies to guarantee the free movement of workers.
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The EU Regulations


​The EU Regulation (EC) No 987/2009 on coordinating social security systems is in force since 2009.
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The regulation strengthens cooperation between EU countries’ social security institutions* and improves the methods that they use to share information with one another. 

It is an implementing regulation which modernises and simplifies the rules for applying Regulation (EC) No 883/2004 on the coordination of social security systems in the EU and it makes it easier for citizens to exercise their right to move freely in the EU for study, leisure or for professional reasons and guarantees that they are not disadvantaged in terms of social security.

The EU Regulation:
  • lays down common rules to protect social security rights when moving within the EU (as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland).
  • It recognises that EU countries decide on aspects such as the beneficiaries of their social security systems, levels of benefits and eligibility conditions.
  • This regulation on the coordination of social security systems does not replace national systems by a single European system.
The EU Regulation covers all the traditional branches of social security, namely:
  • sickness
  • maternity and paternity
  • old-age pensions
  • pre-retirement and invalidity pensions
  • survivors’ benefits and death grants
  • unemployment
  • family benefits
  • accidents at work and occupational illness.

Beneficiaries are guaranteed that their benefits will be paid, that they will be covered for healthcare and that they will receive family benefits even if they move to another EU country.

See details in the next Chapters.
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​​Beneficiaries

All EU nationals (and their families) who are covered by the social security legislation of an EU country can benefit from these coordination rules. They apply to employees and self-employed people, civil servants, students and pensioners, but also to people who are unemployed, not yet working or no longer working. The rules also apply to non-EU nationals and their family members who reside legally in the EU.
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​European health insurance card (EHIC)

The EHIC (which is free) allows people staying in another EU country than their country of residence, including on holiday, access to medical benefits during their stay on the same terms and at the same cost as people insured in that country. The costs are then paid/reimbursed by the social security system of their country of origin. EHICs are issued by the health insurance services in the country of the insured person.

Important to know

The European Health Insurance Card:
  • is not an alternative to travel insurance. It does not cover any private healthcare or costs such as a return flight to your home country or lost/stolen property,
  • does not cover your costs if you are travelling for the express purpose of obtaining medical treatment,
  • does not guarantee free services. As each country’s healthcare system is different services that cost nothing at home might not be free in another country.
Please note: when you move your habitual residence to another country, you should register with the S1 form instead of using the EHIC to receive medical care in your new country of habitual residence.

Credits: European Commission, ​ © European Union, 1995-2022
Instruments of coordination of social security systems

Institutions must respond to all requests within a reasonable time and must communicate any information required by those concerned to assert their rights under the regulation. The regulation lays down rules to ensure that EU countries’ institutions work closely together and mutually assist one another for the benefit of citizens.

Further access to social protection


On March 2018, the EU Commission presented a proposal for a Council Recommendation on access to social protection for workers and the self-employed, with a consultation of social partners to define possible new rules in this area.

Rights and obligations associated to social protection have been developed over time primarily for workers employed on standard contracts, whereas these have been insufficiently developed for people in self-employment and non-standard employment. 

​Today's more flexible working arrangements provide new job opportunities especially for the young but can potentially give rise to new precariousness and inequalities.

The Commission wants to explore ways of providing as many people as possible with social security cover, including self-employed and gig-economy workers. In practice, these people should also be able to build up rights against contributions.

So far the EU Council has not adopted the proposal.