Ensuring that people do not lose their social security rights when travelling or working abroad is an important factor in promoting free cross-border movement of persons. The EU approach involves the coordination of Member States’ social security schemes as a key to encouraging free movement of citizens. For effective application of the EU coordination rules, the dissemination of information remains one of the most important factors. In addition, a main feature of the modernised social security coordination is its aim to enhance cooperation between social security institutions. To this end, Member States have agreed on introducing the system for Electronic Exchange of Social Security Information (EESSI).

In order to stimulate awareness raising actions to the public as well as activities improving exchanges between social security institutions in the Member States and to facilitate the implementation of EESSI, the European Commission has launched a new call for proposals on "Actions for Cooperation and Information on Social Security Coordination" (VP/2012/004).

The three objectives of this call for proposals are to support:

• Initiatives and actions with a trans-national dimension, which aim at developing cooperation between social security institutions and/or aim at improving information of the public about their rights and obligations deriving from the EU Regulations on social security coordination when exercising the right of free movement;
• trans-national initiatives and actions aiming at preparing and implementing the system for electronic data exchange (EESSI);
• national initiatives and actions aiming at preparing and implementing the system for electronic data exchange (EESSI).

The call for proposals is open, depending on the objective, to national social security, liaison bodies and organisations hosting the Access Points to the EESSI as well as social partners organisations, NGOs or other legally recognised type of non-profit organisation in the field of free movement of workers and social security, having a practical experience with the application of the Regulations on social security coordination. The available budget is € 2.6 mln with a EU co-financing rate of up to 80%. Detailed information, all relevant documents and the application form are available on the web-site of the Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion Directorate-General:

http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=630&langId=en&callId=347&furtherCalls=yes

Applications must be submitted before or by 31 May 2012.