How we work
We are a passionate association dedicated to creating positive change in our societies. ESIP Members join forces and coordinate action in order to build a better future for all.
Standing Committees & Working Groups
The Brussels-based ESIP Secretariat is tasked with organising a series of regular and ad hoc meetings for our Members throughout the year.
Our experts meet regularly, at least four times annually, in Brussels. They exchange in the context of the five Standing Committees. In-between meetings, ESIP staff and Committee coordinators pursue important monitoring and follow-up activities to keep Members informed of the latest developments in EU policies.
In addition to the Standing Committees, ESIP has also set up more flexible Working Groups that gather two to three times a year, depending on the Members' needs. Working Groups cannot act as independent entities nor publish their own positions; however, they might support ESIP in doing so.
Members in both the Standing Committees & the Working Groups have the opportunity to exchange not only amongst themselves but also with relevant external stakeholders as well.
The Health Committee provides a forum for exchange on national, international policies and strategies that impact national social health insurers and health systems. The members of the Committee monitor and advocate on behalf of the social health insurers (payers) on EU legislative and non-legislative initiatives and provide expert input to EU-level working groups. The Committee tackles issues such as pharmaceuticals, medical devices, Health Technology Assessment (HTA), cross-border healthcare, e- and m-health, patient safety and quality.
Coordinator: Benedetta Baldini
The Pension Committee is a forum for exchange on national & European policies impacting on national statutory pension insurers. It monitors and advocates EU legislative & non-legislative initiatives and provides expertise in the field of retirement provision, pension topics related to the introduction of a European Pillar of Social Rights, the role of pensions in the macroeconomic governance of the EU and the European Semester, EU pension information, labour-market connected topics such as flexible/ part-time retirement, conditions for early retirement, and information on ongoing pension reforms.
The Family and Social Inclusion (FaSI) Committee is based on two pillars that may interact with one another. On one hand, the Committee deals with family policy issues including childcare facilities and services, parental support, changes in family patterns or family benefits. On the other hand, it monitors social inclusion topics such as fight against poverty, especially through family poverty or poverty at work, minimum income or activation measures. It provides a forum for exchange of practices as well as analyses of EU initiatives that can impact its members. It contributes to the elaboration of positions on such EU initiatives as well as participating to European projects (i.e. European reconciliation package).
ESIP's DisRe Committee is a dynamic platform that fosters exchanges of information around common activities encountered by the institutions managing rehabilitation and reintegration services and promoting the accessibility, for example of products and services, for people with disabilities. The Committee also provides expert input to the European institutions in questions related to disabilities and rehabilitation. Topics discussed include among others rehabilitation and return to work strategies in national social security organisations, the European Disability Strategy, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Coordinator: Gregor Kemper
The EurelPro Committee is a forum for representatives of statutory liberal professions schemes. The Committee exchanges on the functioning of national systems of among others retirement schemes for liberal professions governed by the European social security coordination rules. EurelPro monitors European policies impacting on these schemes including the revision of social security coordination, the proposed services package, the European Pillar of Social Rights, the EESSI and the Eurogroup’s benchmarking of pension sustainability.
Coordinator: Mira Schoetens
The (Un)Employment Working Group gathers representatives from social security organisations competent on employment and unemployment issues, including the provision of unemployment benefits and employment services such as job assessment, reactivation and training as well as the enforcement of EU unemployment benefit rules, especially in cross-border situations. The Working Group also tackles the issues of the fight against fraud and error, including the use of data mining tools and the challenges linked to the respect of data protection rules, including the GDPR. The Working Group also monitors the major EU initiatives of impact such as the European Pillar of Social Rights, the work of the European Labour Authority (ELA) and initiatives around various projects towards a potential reinsurance mechanism for national unemployment insurance systems.
The Funding and Applicable Legislation Working Group brings together ESIP members responsible for the collection and recovery of social security contributions and for determining the legislation applicable in cross-border situations.
The Working Group provides a forum for addressing operational and legal issues arising from the implementation of EU social security coordination rules, particularly in the areas of applicable legislation and the cross-border recovery of contributions. Following the recent adoption of the revised coordination rules, it will also support members in preparing for their entry into force by facilitating exchanges on implementation requirements and emerging administrative challenges.
Against the background of rapidly evolving labour markets and mobility patterns, the Working Group also coordinates ESIP’s contribution to ongoing EU policy developments in the field of labour mobility. It closely follows the Fair Labour Mobility Package and other current and future initiatives affecting social security coordination, digitalisation and cross-border administrative cooperation. Through this work, the Working Group seeks to ensure that new EU rules and tools are practical, implementable and responsive to the needs of both social security institutions and mobile citizens.
The Artificial Intelligence Working Group brings together legal, policy and IT experts from ESIP members to examine how artificial intelligence is transforming the administration and delivery of social security. It provides a platform for members to exchange practical experiences, governance approaches, best practices and use cases concerning the responsible deployment of AI within their institutions.
The Working Group also monitors EU legislative and policy developments, including the implementation of the AI Act, related digital simplification initiatives and other measures with practical implications for the procurement of digital systems by public authorities. It assesses their impact on social security institutions and, through mutual learning and coordinated exchanges, supports the development of trustworthy, human-centred and effective uses of AI across European social security systems.