Sailing the seven seas
| Published date | 01 June 2018 |
| Date | 01 June 2018 |
| Author | Gijsbert Vonk |
| DOI | 10.1177/1388262718771793 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Article
Sailing the seven seas:
A schematic overview of
mechanisms that can be used
to strengthen the social security
protection of persons moving
in and out of the EU
Gijsbert Vonk
Universiteit Groningen, the Netherlands
Abstract
The purpose of this final contribution is to offer a broad schematic overview of ‘mechanisms’
that can be used to strengthen the social security protection of persons moving in and out
of the EU. Seven mechanisms have been selected for discussion: national unilateral
standards, EU unilateral standards, bilateral agreements, EU coordination of bilateral agree-
ments, EU third country agreements, multilateral co-operation and global standards. The
existence of this plethora of mechanisms, each with its own merits and shortcomings, casts a
shadow over the possibility of a uniform EU regime for external social security relations.
Any attempt to introduce such an approach can immediately be contradicted by alternative
approaches and mechanisms which can be used both by the EU and by the individual
Member States. It is suggested that more coherenceinexternalEUsocialsecuritycoordi-
nation can perhaps be found in a conceptual way, by layering the seven mechanisms in a
logical manner.
Keywords
social security co-ordination, EU immigr ation policy, relations with third states , unilateralism,
bilateral social security agreements, global standards
Corresponding author:
Gijsbert Vonk, Department of Administrative Law and Public Administration, University of Groningen Oude Kijk in’t
Jatsstraat 26, 9712 EK Groningen, the Netherlands.
E-mail: g.j.vonk@rug.nl
European Journal of Social Security
2018, Vol. 20(2) 204–216
ªThe Author(s) 2018
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DOI: 10.1177/1388262718771793
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