Answer given by Mr Schmit on behalf of the European Commission

In recent years the European Commission has been exploring the way innovative digital solutions can be used to facilitate the mobility of citizens, by supporting the portability of social security right and the cross-border verification of social security coverage by administrations, and addressing challenges in the identification of people for social security coordination purposes, under the working title ‘European Social Security Number’. Based on the findings to date about various technological options and their costs and benefits, the idea of creating a number did not prove to be a relevant or cost-effective solution to achieve the desired outcomes.

Therefore, the Commission discontinued exploring further the introduction of a ‘number’, and instead announced in the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan the launch of a pilot project in 2021 (which will involve a number of interested countries) to explore the feasibility of a digital solution to facilitate the interaction between mobile citizens and national authorities, and improve the portability of social security rights across borders (European Social Security Pass), building on the initiative for a trusted and secure European electronic identification (eID).

The European Labour Authority (ELA) is mandated to assist Member States and the Commission in their effective application and enforcement of EC law related to labour mobility across the EU and the coordination of social security systems within the EU. Currently, the ELA is still in its build-up phase and thus its implementing capacity is still developing. Therefore, only after achieving its full operational capability it would be possible to assess the future role of the ELA in this regard.