Since 1 April 2012 new arrangements with the EU have been in force. The media have reported on these in detail. In essence, the coordination provisions have been updated, although the basic principles remain the same.
A fact sheet providing further information about the changes, the transitional rules, and hyperlinks to forms and information centres
Here is a brief summary of the key changes:
- Persons not in gainful employment are now explicitly covered by the provisions.
- Some clarifications have been made to the rules on determining the country to which a person is deemed subject in the case of persons who work in more than one country.
- Persons who were deemed subject to the legal requirements of a particular country before 1 April 2012 continue to be insured in that country under the previous regulation, as long as their situation does not change. This applies even if the new regulation, no. 883/2004, would lead to a different outcome (although the affected persons may apply to be made subject to the new coordination rules).