The European Commission has just launched a guide to help Member States apply EU rules on social security coordination in the case of EU citizens who have moved to another Member State.
The new guide clarifies a number of questions on concepts such as 'usual residence', 'temporary residence' and 'stay' and will facilitate their practical application by Member State authorities.
Under EU law, there can only be one place of habitual residence, so only one Member State is responsible for paying social security benefits based on residence.
Employees and self-employed workers can benefit from social security in the country where they work and non-active people (eg pensioners, students) can benefit from this protection in the Member State in which they are 'ordinarily resident'.
Determining the Member State of 'usual residence' of a person is equally important for workers who work in more than one Member State.
The Guide is available in different languages on the website of the European Commissioner responsible for Social Affairs at: http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/andor/index_en.htm
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