Coordination of social security systems at a glance : 2022 statistical report

Free movement of persons would not be possible without the guarantee that citizens do not lose their social security rights when moving to another Member State , be it for reasons linked to work or for other reasons. In order to safeguard the social security rights of persons moving within the EU/EFTA (and the UK) , common rules are established at EU level. The outcome of the EU rules on social security coordination is a high-quality level of coordination techniques based on some key principles: a) the prohibition of discrimination, reinforced by the equal treatment of cross-border facts and events (i.e. principle of assimilation); b) the aggregation of insurance periods; c) the exportability of benefits; and d) the determination of a single applicable legislation.