The EU may have a single market for goods and services, but working across borders can still be surprisingly complicated. The European Commission is now proposing a package aimed at cutting the red tape around professional qualifications, social security and labour mobility.

Some 14 million EU citizens currently live in another Member State, while around 2 million live in one country and work in another. For the Commission, these figures point to a Single Market where people still face barriers when they take their skills across borders.

The Fair Labour Mobility Package seeks to address some of those barriers by making it easier for workers to move between Member States while ensuring that their qualifications and social security rights can follow them. The Commission estimates that the measures could generate benefits worth €6 billion by 2040.

Commissioner for People, Skills and Preparedness Roxana Mînzatu said the package “will profoundly change the Single Market for the better. For Europeans, it means more choice and greater protection for their rights and skills”.

We are removing obstacles for those wishing to work legally in Europe and closing loopholes for those seeking to exploit the system.
— Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner

One of the package’s main measures concerns the recognition of professional qualifications. For regulated professions, the Commission proposes reducing processing times from up to four months to a maximum of 11 weeks. Where automatic recognition applies, the period would be reduced from up to three months to five weeks.

Focus on skills and social security

The package consists of three proposals for regulations and two proposals for directives designed to facilitate the recognition of professional qualifications, improve the protection of mobile workers and reduce the administrative burden associated with cross-border employment.

A central element is the proposed European Social Security Pass (ESSPASS), which would give workers and other citizens a digital way to prove their social security rights when they cross borders. The system would allow people to request and receive key documents online, rather than navigating different national procedures. These would include the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) and the A1 portable document, which confirms which country’s social security rules apply to a worker.

Individuals moving to another EU country would be able to store and present these documents digitally through the European Digital Identity Wallet. The package also includes common training frameworks intended to facilitate automatic recognition of qualifications for ten additional regulated professions, particularly in sectors facing staff shortages. Physiotherapists are among the professional groups the Commission highlighted.

Digitalisation is expected to bring further savings. Over a 12-year period, the Commission estimates that digital tools could save businesses up to €64 million, healthcare providers €69 million and labour inspectors €72 million through faster cross-border checks. Digital signatures could prevent fraud worth up to €277 million over the same period.

The package would also strengthen the role of the European Labour Authority (ELA). Under the proposed changes, the authority would receive stronger tools to support national authorities in enforcing EU labour mobility rules, including action against undeclared work and the exploitation of third-country nationals.

Undeclared work and non-EU nationals

The Commission also wants to strengthen enforcement against undeclared work and labour exploitation, including cases involving third-country nationals. “We are removing obstacles for those wishing to work legally in Europe and closing loopholes for those seeking to exploit the system,” said Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner.

The package also includes a proposal on the recognition of qualifications obtained by third-country nationals. The aim is to create a more consistent framework for assessing qualifications obtained outside the EU and make it easier for Member States to attract workers in sectors facing shortages.

People still face barriers getting the protection they need, and companies still struggle with complicated procedures.
— Commissioner for People, Skills and Preparedness Roxana Mînzatu

According to Mînzatu, stronger cooperation between national authorities would also help combat fraud and abuse and prevent rule-breakers from gaining an unfair advantage over compliant workers and businesses.

The Commission stresses that the proposal on third-country nationals does not alter visa procedures or immigration management. Instead, it focuses specifically on the recognition of qualifications.

A long road to implementation

The changes will not take effect immediately. As the package consists of legislative proposals, they first need to go through the EU’s legislative process before the measures can be implemented.

The Commission proposes that simplified recognition of qualifications obtained in third countries would take effect within two years of adoption. Other measures, including the recognition of digital qualifications through the European Digital Identity Wallet and streamlined recognition for regulated professions, would follow within three years.

The package is therefore less an immediate overhaul of EU labour mobility than a proposed multi-year effort to remove some of the administrative barriers that still make it difficult to work across borders.

The Commission has put the proposals on the table. The next question is whether member states and the European Parliament will turn them into rules that actually make moving for work faster and simpler.