Brussels, Belgium. The Council of the EU under the Cyprus presidency and the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement on Tuesday evening on a regulation establishing a single digital platform for the declaration of posted workers. The measure aims to fully digitalise the submission of posting declarations and reduce administrative burdens for businesses.
Agreement under competitiveness roadmap
The agreement marks one of the first deliverables of the competitiveness roadmap “One Europe, One Market”, according to Deputy Minister for European Affairs Marilena Rauna.
Rauna said, “A more autonomous Union is a more competitive Union.”
The “One Europe, One Market” roadmap was signed in Cyprus in April on the sidelines of the informal EU summit. The digital platform for posted workers is the first measure in this framework and met the June deadline.
Addressing a key obstacle to mobility
The reform was identified in the Single Market Strategy as one of the top ten obstacles to intra-EU mobility, also known as the “terrible ten”.
A posted worker is defined as an individual who is temporarily sent by their employer to provide services in another member state.
Expected impact on businesses and authorities
The regulation provides for the full digitalisation of the submission of posting declarations, while making it easier for national authorities to check compliance with the relevant directive.
Energy Minister Michael Damianos said the agreement was “an important step towards a more integrated and competitive Single Market”, removing obstacles and creating a “more transparent framework for cross-border services for the benefit of businesses, workers and administrations”.
The Commission estimates that the use of the electronic standard form can save companies up to 73 per cent of the time currently needed on average in the EU to complete posting declarations, with the cost reduction estimated at 58 per cent.
The time savings could rise to 81 per cent if all 27 member states participate.