EU proposes digital pass to streamline social security and qualification recognition
The European Commission has unveiled a proposal for a digital "European Social Security Pass" to speed up cross-border recognition of social security and professional credentials.
On Tuesday the European Commission presented a proposal for a digital service named the European Social Security Pass, designed to simplify the validation of social security, health insurance and professional qualifications across EU member states. The platform seeks to eliminate the delays that currently deny basic rights to mobile workers and to ease recruitment for companies hiring talent from other countries. Ursula von der Leyen emphasized the need for the single market to become a genuine skills market, and Roxana Mînzatu highlighted that the tool will stop skilled individuals from losing their qualifications when they move.
Commission data from 2024 show roughly 14 million EU citizens reside in a different member state, with 10 million of them of working age, and a Eurobarometer survey found 18 % would like to move abroad. The Commission projects the initiative could generate up to €6 billion in economic benefits by 2040, including savings for businesses, healthcare providers and labour inspectors, and fraud reduction through digital signatures.
Why it matters
It could remove bureaucratic barriers for millions of EU workers, boosting mobility and economic efficiency.
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