Answer given by Mr Schmit on behalf of the European Commission

20.8.2021

The European Social Security Pass pilot project aims to explore the feasibility of a digital solution to improve the cross-border proof and verification of mobile citizens’ social security coverage and entitlements, which currently rely on paper-ba sed procedures.

This would facilitate the application of social security coordination rules and improve the portability of social security rights across borders, while helping to reduce the risk of errors and fraud in the social security coordination field.

The European Social Security Pass pilot project focuses on digitising the request, issuance and cross-border verification of the validity and authenticity of the Portable Document (PD) A1.

While the Single Digital Gateway could be used in the future as a possible entry point for people and businesses, redirecting them to the national portals where they can request online the issuance of the PD A1, it is not meant to cover digital verification aspects.

In order to allow a secure digital and real-time verification, the European Social Security Pass pilot project will inter alia explore the possibilities offered by blockchain technology.

Only data and information that is strictly necessary for the verification of social security coverage and entitlement would be processed and made accessible to concerned mobile citizens, competent national authorities and trusted stakeholders.

The exact technical features of the envisaged solution are still in the process of being defined and will be tested during the piloting phase, planned to be concluded by 2023.