Business Travel for Europe (BT4Europe) welcomes the provisional agreement reached between the European Parliament and the Council on the revision of EU social security coordination rules, marking a significant step forward in reducing administrative barriers for short-term cross-border business mobility.
The agreement confirms that business trips and short-term cross-border postings will no longer require an A1 certificate, addressing a long-standing concern for companies operating across the Single Market.
Importantly, this breakthrough comes after years of trilogue deadlock, underlining both the complexity of the legislative file and the significance of the progress now achieved.
Through its sustained engagement with policymakers, BT4Europe has helped keep short-term cross-border business travel firmly on the agenda, translating everyday operational challenges into a clear and compelling case for reform across the Single Market.
A structural breakthrough for the Single Market
“This is a landmark achievement for business travel in Europe,” said Odete Pimenta da Silva, on behalf of BT4Europe.
“Removing the A1 requirement for short-term cross-border business travel eliminates a disproportionate administrative burden that affected millions of trips each year. It also demonstrates that, even after years of stalled negotiations, pragmatic solutions at EU level are possible when there is clear alignment on the needs of the Single Market.”
BT4Europe has consistently highlighted that the majority of cross-border business trips are short in duration and operational in nature, making the previous administrative requirements misaligned with today’s economic reality.
Recent discussions in the European Parliament have reinforced this momentum, with BT4Europe playing a central role in convening stakeholders and shaping the debate. We are particularly grateful to MEP Iuliu Winkler for hosting the focused exchange on A1 simplification, which highlighted the need for practical, proportionate rules.
BT4Europe would also like to thank and congratulate Roxana Mînzatu, EVP of the European Commission and Cabinet Member Francesco Corti in particular for their efforts in advancing this legislative file.
If the European Union is to remain the world’s largest trading bloc, it should also be the best place in the world for business travel.
Broad industry support – with important reservations
BT4Europe’s partners across the European business ecosystem support the objective of simplification, while underlining the importance of addressing remaining complexities in the revised framework.
Representing the European exhibition sector, Barbara Weizsäcker, on behalf of the European Exhibition Industry Alliance, commented:
“We highly welcome the progress made on short-term mobility, which is critical for industries such as exhibitions and events. It represents a relevant simplification for exhibitors, visitors of trade fairs, all other attendees of meetings and events and general travel for professional reasons within the EU. However, parts of the revised framework do not yet fully reflect the highly dynamic and project-based cross-border nature of our sector. Ensuring proportionate and workable rules across all forms of temporary mobility will be essential going forward.”
Next steps
Building on this important breakthrough, the provisional agreement is expected to be formally endorsed in the coming months, after which the revised rules will enter into force.
BT4Europe will continue to engage with EU institutions and stakeholders to:
- Work with co-legislators to ensure the final text is formally adopted and fully reflects the ambition of reducing administrative burdens for short-term cross-border business travel
- Support consistent implementation across Member States
- Monitor the practical impact on cross-border business travel and cross-border operations
- Contribute to further simplification efforts where necessary
