Freedom of movement of workers: social security, Advisory Committee

At first reading under codecision procedure, the European Parliament adopted the report by Marie-Thérèse Hermange (UPE,FR), which approves the Commission proposal for a European Parliament and Council decision establishing an Advisory Committee on freedom of movement and social security for Community workers and amending Council regulations 1612/68/EEC and 1408/71/EEC, subject to amendments, notably in the following areas: - providing that the advisory committee's comprehensive analysis of freedom of movement should include all aspects relating to frontier workers; - halving the number of members of the committee from 90 to 45; - adding to the list of organisations from which the committee may seek advice the standing committee on employment and those organisations with extensive experience in matters of the labour market; - adding to the the committee's tasks the examination of the cross-border implications in particular for migrant workers and frontier workers of Community legislative proposals and national provisions, including collective employment agreements on social protection, medical costs, taxation and labour law; - with regard to the provision of opinions by the committee on the exchange of information in certain areas, adding to the areas to be covered the movement of job seekers (as well as workers) between Member States and legal (as well as social) assistance to workers and their families; - adding to the committee's tasks the encouragement of cooperation between the Member States to find solutions for specific problems with regard to the social security of frontier workers, inter alia with regard to their social security contributions and the right to payments and benefits; - adding to the committee's tasks the development of proposals addressed to the Member States to counter any adverse effects for frontier workers as a result of changes in the organisation or financing of social security systems.�