Thursday, January 16, 2014

EUROPA - Commission publishes guide on application of ‘Habitual Residence Test’ for social security

EUROPA - PRESS RELEASES - Press release - Free movement: Commission publishes guide on application of ‘Habitual Residence Test’ for social security: "A practical guide on the 'Habitual Residence Test' to help Member States apply EU rules on the coordination of social security for EU citizens that have moved to another Member State has just been published by the European Commission. The new guide gives more clarity about the EU 'Habitual Residence Test' and will facilitate its application in practice by Member States' authorities."

The guide is available for downloading in all european langauges.

EUobserver.com / Young Europeans lack job skills, US consultancy says

EUobserver.com / Headline News / Young Europeans lack job skills, US consultancy says: "Mckinsey surveyed more than 5,000 young people, 2,600 employers, and 700 higher education teachers across eight EU countries.
The list includes Germany and Sweden, which have some of the lowest jobless rates in the EU, as well as crisis countries Greece, Portugal and Spain.
Youth unemployment rates in Greece and Spain have tipped 50 percent. Overall, 24 percent of 16-24 year olds across the EU are not in work, training or education.
However, the report found that businesses in crisis countries reported the biggest problems, with 47 percent and 45 percent of Italian and Greek firms saying that a lack of skills is harming their interests.
The report argues that students are put off studying by the cost of living and a perceived bias against vocational courses. It also says that they struggle to make the transition from studying to work."

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

EU citizens | Immigration in the Netherlands

EU citizens | Immigration and Naturalisation Service:
Citizens of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland fall under the laws and regulations of the EU, EEA and the treaty between the EU and Switzerland. These regulations are different from Dutch national law.

Lawful residence
As an EU/EEA or Swiss citizen you do not need a residence permit to stay in the Netherlands if your stay is based on the EC Treaty. Your passport (or ID document) of the country, of which you hold the nationality, is evidence enough that you are permitted to stay in the Netherlands. You are not required to register with the IND.
Please note! If a family member who is not an EU/EEA or Swiss citizen, intends to stay with you in the Netherlands, you do have to register with the IND.

To stay in the Netherlands as an EU/EEA of Swiss citizen, you:
are a citizen from an EU or EEA member state or Switzerland (citizens of Croatia excepted).
are not a risk to public order or national security.
have a valid travel document (for example a passport).

Stay longer than 4 months
Are you planning to stay for longer than 4 months in the Netherlands? You will need to register with the personal records database (BRP) at your local municipality. You will then be issued a Citizen Service Number. For further information please check the website of the municipality where you live or go towww.burgerservicenummer.nl.

Right to work
All EU/EEA or Swiss citizens, with the exception of Croatians, are entitled to work without restriction in all sectors and industries.

If an organisation or company asks you for proof of lawful stay in the Netherlands by the IND, you can print and download this letter from the IND (only available in Dutch) for employees and other organisations explaining the current procedure for EU/EEA or Swiss citizens staying in the Netherlands.

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

German 2013 employment reached record high

German employment reached another record high in 2013, but the rise in employment was only about half of the average of 2011 and 2012, a report published by Destatis.

In the past year, an average of 41.78 million German residents were employed, either self-employed or by employers, 0.6 percent higher than the statistics in 2012 and an increase for seven consecutive years, German Federal Statistical Office said.

According to provisional estimates of the office, the number of unemployed people in Germany by an average of 36,000 to just under 2.3 million in 2013, one of the lowest in the European Union.

The jobless rate fell to 5.2 percent in 2013, which was lower than in almost all other EMU member countries. In the service branches, the number of persons in employment increased by a total of 227,000 or 0.7 percent in 2013.

A survey by the German Association for Small and Medium-sized Businesses in December found that about 53 percent of small and medium-sized companies expected a good business situation in the new year, and 32 percent planned to make more investment.

As for employment, 35 percent of SMEs had a plan to hire additional staff in 2014, while 58 percent would keep the number of their employees unchanged, according to the survey

The producing branches, too, recorded employment gains in 2013, which were, however, less pronounced than in the previous year. Employment rose by 17,000 in industry, and by 20,000 in construction.
Meanwhile, in agriculture, forestry and fishing, the average number of persons in employment dropped by 31,000.

Economists expected the German economy to expand 1.7 percent in the new year, compared with the 2013 projection of 0.5 percent, thanks to a recovery of the global economy, strong private consumption and a rebound of investment.

Bulgarians and Romanians gain EU work access

Bulgarians and Romanians became eligible to work anywhere within the European Union, with the lifting of labour market restrictions. The move, seven years after the two countries joined EU, comes amid heated debate over the impact of opening doors to the poorest of its 28 members. The lifting of restrictions on Romanians and Bulgarians working in several European Union countries has not seen plane loads of them heading west and the leaders of Bulgaria and Romania have dismissed invasion fears.

The EU has rebuffed attempts to curtail their movement and downplayed suggestions of a flood of people seeking social welfare benefits rather than work. "In hard times, mobile EU citizens are all too often an easy target," said Laszlo Andor, EU employment commissioner said.

Some right-wing British politicians are particularly alarmed but Damian Draghici, an adviser to Romania's prime minister, said that is nonsense: "I believe that this is more of a political game... or a way to blow things out of proportion. I don't think Romanians are going to invade England."
Tjobs, a leading employment recruitment agency in Romania, revealed that recently fewer people there have been asking about jobs in Britain.

"The commission does recognize that there can be local problems created by a large, sudden influx of people from other EU countries into a particular city or region," he said.
"They can put a strain on education, housing and social services. The solution is to address these specific problems - not to put up barriers against these workers."

Britain tightened access to social benefits for EU migrants, with the introduction of measures that include a waiting period of three months for newcomers wanting to claim unemployment benefits.
"Accelerating the start of these new restrictions will make the UK a less attractive place for EU migrants who want to come here and try to live off the state," said British Prime Minister David Cameron said in mid-December.
Debate and public concern has also centred around Bulgaria and Romania‘s Roma communities. Their integration has been a long-standing problem within the EU.

Nineteen EU members had already opened their doors to workers from Bulgaria and Romania by last month. Some of the leading economies - Germany, Britain, France, Spain and the Netherlands - were not among them however.