EU proposes labor mobility reforms to accelerate qualification recognition

The European Union is advancing the ‘Fair Labour Mobility’ package, a set of five legislative proposals aimed at streamlining professional qualification recognition and social security coordination. Under the new rules, the examination period for professionals with qualifications from outside the EU could be reduced from 14 months to four months. For certain sectors such as medicine, nursing, engineering, and teaching, the EU aims to introduce digital recognition of qualifications, potentially reducing processing times from three months to five weeks.

The reform also includes the introduction of the European Social Security Pass (ESSPASS), a digital tool allowing workers to access the European Health Insurance Card and A1 documents online via a European Digital Wallet. This initiative seeks to allow authorities to verify document authenticity digitally and is expected to be available across the EU by the end of the year.

Additionally, new regulations regarding the posting of workers will introduce stricter conditions for the A1 certificate. While employees can remain insured in their home country during temporary assignments, the reform aims to ensure a genuine link between the worker, employer, and state of origin. Key changes include exemptions for short trips of up to three days (excluding construction), requirements for staff to be insured in their home state for at least three months prior to assignment, and mandatory two-month breaks after 24 months of successive postings in the same member state.