- BT4Europe, the European Network of Business Travel Associations, welcomes the European Commission’s proposal to introduce a digital declaration system for posted workers.
While this is an important step toward simplifying cross-border business travel, BT4Europe emphasizes the need for mandatory exemptions for short-term business trips and consistent digitization of longer trips across all Member States.
The current proposal allows Member States to adopt the digital public interface on a voluntary basis, leaving significant gaps in its implementation. Without concrete commitments to exempt short-term business trips and fully digitize the A1 form procedure, the initiative risks falling short of its goal to reduce administrative burdens for companies by 25%.
BT4Europe Treasurer Odete Pimenta da Silva commented:
“This proposal represents a welcome move to reduce regulatory burdens, but it must go further. Short-term business trips should be completely exempted from the Posted Worker and A1 form requirements, and the digitization of longer trips should be mandatory across all Member States. BT4Europe has been a consistent advocate for cutting red tape in business travel, and we stand ready to work with stakeholders and policymakers to ensure this initiative delivers on its promises.”
Since its establishment in 2022, BT4Europe has been at the forefront of advocating for streamlined regulations, reduced cross-border costs, and simplified procedures for Europe’s €185 billion business travel sector. While the Commission’s proposal reflects several of BT4Europe’s priorities, key improvements are essential:
- Mandatory Digitization Across Member States – A fully digital Posted Worker & A1 form system must be uniformly implemented to avoid fragmentation. Allowing Member States to opt out undermines the objective of harmonization and simplicity.
- Exemption for Short-Term Business Trips – Business trips of short duration must be entirely exempt from the Posted Worker & A1 form procedure to reduce unnecessary administrative burdens.
- Concrete Bureaucratic Reductions – The proposal must deliver measurable reductions in reporting obligations to meet the Commission’s target of reducing burdens by 25%.
Next Steps
Odete Pimenta da Silva concluded:
“BT4Europe is eager to continue its engagement with the European Commission, European Parliament, Member States, and industry stakeholders. Together, we can ensure this initiative brings about meaningful, lasting change for cross-border business mobility and Europe’s €185 billion business travel industry. We remain committed to working collaboratively to achieve a regulatory framework that supports seamless, efficient, and fair cross-border business mobility, and boosting Europe’s competitiveness.”
