Objectives
Technical Functionalities & Approach
Potential Beneficiaries
The role of IDABC
Next Steps on EESSI
Key Data
Documentation
Objectives
The overall objective of strengthening the protection of the social security rights of citizens who are mobile can only be achieved through modernising and speeding up the information exchanges that take place between the social security institutions of the Member States for the implementation of the EC social security coordination rules.
The objective is to ensure that all the information exchanges currently taking place through the use of nearly one hundred paper E (European) forms (nearly 2000 E forms in total when taking account of the various language versions) will be undertaken by electronic means in 2009, so as to coincide with the application of the new, modernised and simplified European Regulations coordinating social security.
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Technical Functionalities & Approach
The EESSI project (formerly PROTECTUS) is a natural extension of the former TESS pilot project and takes account of results achieved by a limited number of Member States who electronically exchange information (by bulk upload and download) in the field of pensions and health care. EESSI learns from the TESS project and opens the way to full electronic data exchanges between all the Member States (plus Norway,Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland) and in all the branches of social security, including unemployment, accidents at work & occupational diseases, family benefits, pre-retirement benefits, maternity and paternity benefits.
The TESS arrangements currently used by a few Member States for the implementation of the coordination rules in the field of pensions and health care could have been extended to all the countries and for all the exchanges required to implement the EC social security coordination rules. But because of, amongst other things, new modernised and simplified rules, citizens expectations of more rapid responses in the area of posting of workers and the European Health Insurance Card, emerging technologies in the 21st century – a feasibility study was first required. This feasibility study enabled the examination of current electronic exchanges, but also took into account future technical opportunities with the overarching aim of ensuring that all the 31 countries will be exchanging information between each other electronically when applying the new rules coordinating social security.
The feasibility study required the contractor to offer detailed cost benefit analysis for three or more service-oriented architectures. The proposed solution had to promote electronic exchanges and remove technology barriers for Member States (i.e. conversion between some national protocols and formats could be part of the services offered) if considered necessary. Moreover, the required solution had to offer easy access to exchanging electronically for any Member State that might have difficulties in mobilising national resources particularly as the legal obligation to exchange electronically under the new rules only applies to the exchanges within the European domain.
The sectoral committee – the Technical Commission on Data Processing monitored the progress of the Feasibility Study and discussed at each stage, the deliverable produced by the contractor. Technical discussion of the aspects of the draft architectures suggested by the contractor started in March 2007. To facilitate the process, the contractor was asked to provide a decision-making tree that underlined the major political choices to be made, namely on supported versus non-supported online transactions; full-mesh versus central message relay; and mandatory versus non-mandatory use of the common reference implementation.
In June 2007, the Technical Commission decided unanimously on the most suitable option and this was recommended to the Administrative Commission. Based on the excellent work and recommendations of the Technical Commission on Data Processing and the Task Force on Electronic Data Exchange created to drive through the 2006-2009 Work Programme on Electronic Data Exchange, the Administrative Commission at its 305th meeting reached a (milestone) unanimous agreement on the type of a Common European Architecture for the electronic exchange of data in the social security field.
The main features of the agreed Common European Architecture are:
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using s-Testa as the backbone;
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minimum of one and maximum of five Access Points per Member State;
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online transaction facilities for posting and the electronic European Health Insurance Card;
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the compulsory use of a central node; and
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the flexible use by Member States of a Commission developed Reference Implementation (RI) which will be made available for free to the Member States. To guarantee a realistic launch date for the electronic exchange of social security information, the Technical Commission found that the European Commission must develop and maintain a RI for the Member States that require it, and for Member States who plan to initially use the RI to gain experience and expertise required to develop their own systems in due course. Moreover, the Technical Commission recommended that the RI should be developed to modular and rigorous software engineering standards - providing high availability and high message handling throughput and tested thoroughly. If an Access Point derogates from the use of the RI, it does so at its own cost and at its own risk - but it must comply with the functional and technical specifications of the RI.
The Administrative Commission recommended to the European Commission that the unanimous agreement attained on the type of Common European Architecture should now form the basis for further work required to progress EESSI onto the next stage for the development and implementation in order to have a system of electronic data exchange in place when the new coordinating Regulations become applicable.
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Potential Beneficiaries
Benefits for the sector: Implementation of the EC rules on social security co-ordination in a modern,efficient, precise and appropriate manner.
Benefits for national Member States administrations: More efficient, rapid and correct information exchanges between social security institutions of Member States for the implementation of co-ordination rules. These exchanges between social security institutions will use the appropriate national on-line registers and databases through the interoperability network.
Benefits for citizens / enterprises:
- Enhanced protection of social security rights of European citizens who move around Europe through and electronic and automated application of EC rules in the field of social security co-ordination.
- Accelerated, accurate automated and timely data exchanges will result in accurate and timely calculation and payment of the social security benefits to citizens who are mobile.
- In the longer term, will minimise and eventually eliminate internal paper and traditional postal mail information exchanges between Member States own national social security administrations which currently also delay and hamper the payment of social security benefits at European level.
- More accurate and transparent protection of citizens' social security rights
IT-based exchanges implemented through the EESSI project will permit:
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increased use of data,
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efficient verification of data,
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faster processing,
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more flexible and easier interface between different systems,
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improved knowledge on the quality of the data, and
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readily available and accurate collection of statistical data on European exchanges.
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The role of IDABC
The following services will be considered:
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TESTA (Trans European Services for Telematics between Administrations) secure network
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CIRCA (Communication and Information Resource Centre Administrator)
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Next Steps on EESSI
In a collaborative approach with the Member States, all the main requirements, including all the lower level policy and technical decisions underpinning the agreed Common European Architecture will be agreed collectively by the Technical Commission on Data Processing and the Administrative Commission.
The development process is concerned with the following software applications:
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Key Data
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Project start date
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Feasibility Study 2006
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Project completion date
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2009
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Project status
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Preparing specifications for development
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IDABC budget
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2006 € 176,000
2008 € 2,000,000
2009 € 1,000,000
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Service in charge
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Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs & Equal Opportunities / E3
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Responsible action manager
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Shahida RAI
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Contact
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Countries involved
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All EU Member States, EFTA states & Switzerland
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Public websites
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Documentation
Official Journal of the European Union - LO 74 - 1408/71
Official Journal of the European Union - LO 74 - 574/72
Official Journal of the European Union - L166/1 - 883/2004
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