From 1st of May 2012 social security data in Europe will be exclusively available in
digital form. The currently ongoing implementation phase is difficult for EU-Member
States especially regarding the integration of all insurance carriers.
Europeans are constantly mobile and the coordination of social security is becoming
increasingly difficult. National carriers have to coordinate at European level. So far this
happens with electronic forms in paper form. At the moment there are 2000 forms (100 e-
forms in 20 languages). Until 1st May 2012 all information has to be processed
electronically and paper forms will be abolished.
This Electronic Exchange of Social Security Information (EESSI) is designed to improve
the protection of the rights of insurants in which, for example, the calculation and
payment of benefits will be accelerated. In addition to the legal validity of the claims, the
insurance history, the identification of the responsible authority and the insurant can be
improved.
Through the EU co-ordination regulation of the European Commission (article 78 reg.
883/2004, article 1-5 und 95 reg. 987/2009) social security data should be exchanged
only electronically. This will be implemented by the European Network sTESTA through
the EU-project EESSI. In this way, 15 million messages are channeled per year through
EESSI. Preparations are underway since December 2008 and should be completed in
late 2010. There are six pilot countries (Germany, Finland, Bulgaria, Italy, Austria and
Netherlands) which provide their test results to all EU Member States to ensure the joint
implementation until May 2012. But the introduction runs slow. There are organizational
and structural challenges to involve all stakeholders and to ensure that the system works in
time.
The most common problems are:
1. How to organise the implementation process and to inform and involve all
beneficiaries?
2. How to ensure proper access of all involved parties to EESSI?
3. What are the main changes for the beneficiaries resulting from the electronic
exchange?
4. Which organisational changes should they undertake?
5. What are the experiences of the Member States involved in testing the system so
far?
6. How shall the involved parties fill in the electronic documents?
Therefore the European Academy for Taxes, Economics & Law offers the seminar „How to
implement EESSI in your country“. This event takes place 26th September 2011 in
Berlin. The seminar is about the experiences of the pilot countries, practical solutions in
implementing, technical applications and legal difficulties.