Research project SO/01/011 (Research action SO)
The research proposal derives from the growing attention being paid both at home and abroad to better co-ordination of the social security systems in the Member States of the European Union.
The Commission of the European Community has been leading the way with research, first in sub-areas of the co-ordination problematic (non-member country nationals, secondment, officials), then through a general simplification and reform of the co-ordinating regulations nos. 1408/71 and 574/72.
At the same time, concerns grew in several Member States about the difficulties which had arisen during practical application of the Community's co-ordination standards within their national context. The organisation of national conferences on the application of the co-ordinating regulation in all 15 of the Member States (and even beyond, e.g. in Norway) stimulated research on the co-ordination problematic. The EU supported and co-ordinated the national conferences. In Belgium, too, interest grew in the co-ordination problematic, which an OSTC study identified as a decisive element for the position of Belgian social policy within the European Union.
Until now, research on the co-ordination problematic appears to have concentrated above all on:
- description of the difficulties encountered in applying the co-ordinating Regulations;
- formulation of a series of specific proposals for improvement;
- several more fundamental reform proposals.
Nevertheless, proposals for improvement or reform were always formulated with a view to further discussion, not to converting them into concrete, usable proposals which could be adopted by the European Parliament. However, the moment for doing precisely that appears to have arrived. This means that applied research resulting in concrete proposals is desirable.
The exploratory research that we wish to undertake consists of the following four phases:
- In a first phase of 3 months, the pressure points in the application of the European co-ordinating Regulations and the reform proposals corresponding thereto will be listed and systematised. However, this stocktaking and systematisation is not an objective in itself; rather, it must allow one to select from the multitude of ideas and visions a number for further research and development.
- In a second phase of 2 months, from the list drawn up around twenty concise reform proposals will be formulated, which will then form the object of a broad survey conducted among executive bodies, trade union organisations and social security experts in the 15 EU Member States. At the same time, one will consult with the departments of the Federal government involved in order to explore the importance of Belgian involvement in this operation. This can then lead to adaptation of the list and/or the questions.
- In the third research phase lasting 4 months, two activities will be pursued parallel to one another. In the first instance, during this phase questionnaires will be sent to the members of the European Institute for Social Security and the ETUI.
Op weg naar een aangepaste coördinatie van de sociale zekerheid in Europa
Goyens, Floris - Pieters, Danny - Schoukens, Paul ... et al Gent : Academia Press, 2003 (PB5927)
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