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Ordinary legislative procedure First reading

Coordination of social security systems

A proposed EU law. Parliament and the Council must agree on the same text: Parliament adopts its position, then negotiates with the Council.

Where it stands: Completed: published in the Official Journal on 27 October 2026 and now EU law.

  1. ✓ Referred to committee 19 January 2017
  2. ✓ Committee work Report adopted 20 November 2018
  3. ✓ Tabled for plenary 23 November 2018
  4. ✓ Negotiations with the Council Deal approved in committee 6 May 2026
  5. ✓ Plenary vote Adopted 7 July 2026
  6. ✓ Published as law 27 October 2026
How a file moves through Parliament

A file is referred to one lead committee (others may give an opinion). Its rapporteur writes a draft report, committee members table amendments, and the committee votes to adopt the report. The report is then tabled for all MEPs; political groups can table further amendments, which are voted on before the final vote in plenary. For a law, Parliament’s adopted text is its first-reading position; Parliament and the Council then negotiate a common text (trilogues) which both must approve before it is published as law.

Who is working on it

Lead committee
EMPL — Employment and Social Affairs
Rapporteur
Gabriele BISCHOFF S&D
Shadow rapporteurs
Jeroen LENAERS PPEMarie DAUCHY PfEFrancesco TORSELLI ECRJana TOOM RenewGordan BOSANAC Verts/ALERudi KENNES The Left

The rapporteur drafts and negotiates the text for the lead committee; each other political group names a shadow rapporteur to follow the file.

The text, version by version

Adopted by Parliament · latest Adopted text TA10-0239/2026 7 July 2026 ✦ Parliament's amended version of the proposed regulation updates EU rules coordinating national social security systems, covering long-term care, unemployment, family benefits, and administrative cooperation.⇄ what changed Tabled for plenary Report A8-0386/2018 23 November 2018 ✦ Parliament's amended version of the proposed regulation updates EU rules coordinating national social security systems, covering long-term care, unemployment, family benefits, and administrative cooperation.⇄ what changed Committee draft Draft report (EMPL) 20 November 2017 ✦ This draft report proposes amendments to the Commission's proposal to update EU rules coordinating national social security systems. It covers unemployment benefits, long-term care, posting of workers, and administrative cooperation.

Committee draft → Tabled for plenary: Adds extensive new recitals on disability, long-term care, and social security cards, and deletes several recitals from the old version. Changes unemployment benefit rules: aggregation period reduced to one day, export extended to six months, and new provisions for cross-border workers. Introduces new provisions on long-term care benefits, including definitions, lists, and coordination rules. Modifies posting rules: duration limits, prior link periods, and substantial activity criteria. The other changes are formal or wording: updated references, punctuation, and rephrasing. see the changes →

Newest version first. Open a version to read it in full. “What changed” shows the differences paragraph by paragraph; ✦ lines are AI-written from the texts themselves.

Timeline

  1. Outcome
  2. 27 October 2026 Published in the Official Journal

    The act is now EU law.

  3. 7 October 2026 Signed by the Presidents of Parliament and the Council

    The last step before the act is published in the Official Journal.

  4. Plenary stage
  5. 7 July 2026 Plenary vote
    Sitting of 7 July 2026 📄 Adopted text TA10-0239/2026📄 Report A8-0386/2018
    Adopted Adopted by a large majority
    For 511 Against 87 Abstained 61

    Final vote on the provisional agreement at 13:33 · 78% of votes cast in favour · every MEP’s position →

    How the vote unfolded · 2 ballots

    adopted rejected lapsed square = amendment circle = part of the text decisive vote Solid = roll call (click for every MEP’s vote); faded = no individual positions

    Show all 2 ballots in voting order
    1. Final vote on the provisional agreement 13:33 A8-0386/2018 – Gabriele Bischoff – Provisional agreement – Am 209
    Adopted
    2. Commission statements
    — no individual positions recorded
    Adopted
  6. 6 July 2026 Debated in plenary

    MEPs debated the text in the chamber ahead of the vote.

    Sitting of 6 July 2026 📄 Council / Commission text C8-0521/2016📄 Report A8-0386/2018
  7. 1 July 2026 2 amendments tabled for the plenary vote

    Groups propose changes to the tabled text; each is voted on before the final vote.

    📄 Amendment 209📄 Amendment 210
  8. Negotiations with the Council
  9. 6 May 2026 Committee approved the deal reached with the Council

    The provisional agreement from the trilogues goes to the whole Parliament for a vote.

    📄 EMPL-AG-787916
  10. 22 April 2026 Trilogue meeting

    Negotiation between Parliament, Council and Commission on a common text.

  11. 3 June 2025 Trilogue meeting

    Negotiation between Parliament, Council and Commission on a common text.

  12. Plenary stage
  13. 18 April 2019 Plenary vote
    Sitting of 18 April 2019 📄 Report A8-0386/2018
  14. Negotiations with the Council
  15. 11 December 2018 Plenary endorsed the mandate to negotiate with the Council

    Parliament’s negotiators can now seek a compromise text with the Council (in “trilogues”).

  16. Plenary stage
  17. 11 December 2018 Plenary vote
    Sitting of 11 December 2018 📄 Report A8-0386/2018
  18. 23 November 2018 Report tabled for plenary

    This is the text all MEPs vote on. Political groups can still table amendments to it.

    📄 Report A8-0386/2018
  19. Committee stage
  20. 20 November 2018 Committee vote: report adopted

    EMPL (Employment and Social Affairs) voted on the amendments and adopted the report that goes to plenary.

  21. 20 November 2017 Draft report published

    The rapporteur’s first text in EMPL (Employment and Social Affairs). Members can table amendments before the committee votes.

    📄 Draft report (EMPL)
  22. 19 January 2017 Referred to the EMPL (Employment and Social Affairs) committee

    The lead committee prepares Parliament’s report.