WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1914/96 by Charlotte CEDERSCHIÖLD to the Commission. Unemployment benefit in another EU country
Date: 1996-07-16
Institutions: CEDERSCHIOELD, European Parliament
Subjects: Sweden, action for failure to fulfil an obligation, application of EU law, free movement of workers, labour market, migrant worker, social security, unemployment insurance













EUR-Lex - 91996E1914 - EN






Avis juridique important




|



91996E1914

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1914/96 by Charlotte CEDERSCHIÖLD to the Commission. Unemployment benefit in another EU country  


Official Journal C 365 , 04/12/1996 P. 0052 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-1914/96 by Charlotte Cederschiöld (PPE) to the Commission (16 July 1996)Subject: Unemployment benefit in another EU countryIn its answer to my question no. H-0106/96 ((Debates of the European Parliament No. 4-479, March 1996. )), the Commission indicates that it does not approve of the Swedish requirement that an unemployed person should have drawn unemployment benefit for three months in Sweden before being eligible to look for work in another country while retaining such benefit. The Swedish employment authorities are apparently unwilling to acknowledge the unconditional right of individuals to move across borders and the right to look for work in other Member States even if work is available in the home country. The employment authorities claim that they need the time to make sure that there are no jobs in Sweden and that, if there are, the unemployed must take them and not carry on going abroad. This attitude is in even starker contrast to the Commission's aim to allow freedom of movement for the unemployed with no waiting period.The Commission requires Sweden also to comply with Article 69 of Regulation 1408/71 ((OJ L 149, 5.7.1971, p. 2. )). Should that not be the case, the Commission intends to initiate infringement proceedings (Art. 169). I am informed that the Swedish employment authorities are waiting for notification from the Commission. The losers in this situation are young people wishing to look for work in other countries.What measures does the Commission intend to take to move this matter forward and what is its timetable for such measures?Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission (1 October 1996)As indicated in the replies to the Honourable Member's previous questions on this subject, the Commission has been aware of the condition imposed by the Swedish authorities that a person must have been unemployed for three months in Sweden before being eligible to seek employment in another Member State while retaining their right to Swedish unemployment benefits.This practice conflicted with the applicable provision of Community law on the coordination of social security schemes for migrant workers, Article 69(1)(a) of Regulation 1408/71, which states that a person must have been registered as unemployed for at least four weeks prior to departure to another Member State to look for work.The Swedish ministry for labour has written to inform the Commission that following the correspondence with the Commission on this issue, it understands that Article 69(1)(a) of Regulation 1408/71 does not allow Sweden to impose a minimum period of unemployment greater than the four-week limit defined in this provision. The Ministry has stated that the Labour market board will now change its practice and apply the rule of Community law according to which four weeks of unemployment is the minimum period required.