New European Rules detrimental for Frontier Workers.

The new European rules for frontier workers threaten to turn a disaster, warns Dutch member of Parliament Sophie in 't Veld. Thousands of Dutch citizens are in trouble through a lack of coordination between neighboring countries. For the whole of Europe, an early estimate says at least 3 million people suffer similar problems.
For the Dutch MP, it concerns people who live in Germany or Belgium, but work in the Netherlands. This group consists of about ninety thousand employees. To prevent these commuters from having to pay double premiums, Brussels has simplified the relevant rules by May 1 this year: basically employees are almost always insured in the country where they work.
The problems arise when the frontier worker wants to retire. According to European rules, he or she will be paid the benefits of the inhabiting country. For Dutch frontier workers, this means they have to pay the relatively high Dutch premiums, but will only receive the much lower German or Belgian benefits. Other problems arise from secondary benefits such as deductions on the rent of home loans: in the Netherlands these continue after retirement, in Germany not.

When the new rules were drafted, Brussels tried to reassure border workers with a transitional period of ten years. If during that time no changes happen to their work situation, they can choose whether they remain under the old rules or the new. But for someone who loses his job, this option does not exist.

According to MEP In 't Veld, the local sections of her party in the border region now receive "almost daily" reports of border workers becoming financially compromised. "It seems like you are punished if you work across the border," she says. "And that was never the intention of the rules."

 A few years ago, her party D66 came with the proposal to thoroughly test new legislation before introduction, to see what the effects are on the border regions. But to legislators there seem to be no room for margins regarding borders: “National governments tend to legislate from the idea: this is within our boundary and ready.”

Until then, the MP sees no other solution than to apply on the European Commission. In the past, if European integration was hindered, the Commission did its utmost to find solutions.

Source: RNW.NL