Labour legislation aligned with European standards: citizens of Moldova to be able to receive unemployment benefits in EU countries

Citizens of Moldova will be able, after the country’s accession to the European Union, to receive unemployment benefits in EU member states, while citizens of the Union will enjoy the same right in Moldova. This provision is included in a draft law approved by the parliament in first reading today, with 65 votes for. The draft aims to align the regulatory framework in the field of coordination of social security systems and free movement of workers with European Union’s legislation.

At the parliament meeting, State Secretary at the Labour and Social Protection Ministry Felicia Bechtoldt said that the draft aimed to modernize employment services and adapt them to the current realities of the labour market. More precisely, the authorities intend to enhance jobseekers’ access to quality employment services and to facilitate their rapid integration into the labour market.

Thus, the draft regulates a new category of beneficiaries of unemployment benefits – frontier workers. These are persons who work in one EU member state and have their residence in another EU member state, returning home periodically, at least once a week.

“In the event that these persons lose their job, they will be able to apply for and receive unemployment benefits either in the state where they worked or in the state of residence, in accordance with the legislation of the state in which they choose to apply for unemployment benefits,” the state secretary said.

The document also regulates the situation of unemployed persons registered in Moldova, who travel to an EU member state, to a state of the European Economic Area or to another state that is a signatory to the Schengen Agreement, in order to look for a job. In such cases, the right to unemployment benefits will be maintained for a period of up to three months.

“This draft creates the necessary legal framework for citizens of Moldova to be able, after the country’s accession to the European Union, to receive unemployment benefits in the member states of the European Union, and for EU citizens to receive unemployment benefits in Moldova,” said Felicia Bechtoldt.

The document also provides for the inclusion of non-formal education in the vocational training voucher system, as well as for facilitating access to subsidies for unemployed persons who start a business and create at least one job.

“By introducing vouchers, citizens will have access not only to formal qualification programmes, but also to training focused on skills’ development, whether we are talking about digital skills, communication skills, teamwork and other competencies that are increasingly in demand by employers,” said Felicia Bechtoldt.

Another amendment concerns lowering the minimum age for registering with unemployed status from 16 to 15 years, a measure meant to facilitate the early integration of young people into the labour market, while respecting rules on the protection of minors. In addition, the authors propose extending the age range for NEET youth (not in employment, education or training) from the current 15–29 years to 15–34 years. This change will allow more effective monitoring of the NEET phenomenon and will facilitate comparative analysis of statistics data.

“Extending the age range for NEET youth will allow a larger number of beneficiaries to access employment services and support measures and will contribute to the empowerment of young people, especially women, and to bringing them back into the labour market,” said Felicia Bechtoldt.

The draft was developed by the Labour and Social Protection Ministry. The provisions in the document relating to the export and reimbursement of unemployment benefits for citizens of Moldova who move to an EU member state, and for citizens of the European Union who come to Moldova, will enter into force upon Moldova’s accession to the European Union.

The draft is to be examined and voted on by parliament in second reading.