Inspiring social protection for Belgian emigrants

As part of research funded by the European Research Council (New window), a team from the University of Liège compared the level of social protection offered by European Union (EU) member states to their citizens living abroad. The good news is that France and Belgium stand out for their inspiring practices. Preview of the study with Jean-Michel Lafleur, Research Director at F.R.S.-FNRS and Professor at the Centre for Ethnicity and Migration Studies at the University of Liège.

Citizens moving within the EU: a guaranteed foundation of rights

'Alongside the delicate issue of immigration towards Europe, which is at the heart of the study, this study also looked at the social rights of European expatriates,’ J-M Lafleur explains. The first question was ‘the concern of EU member states about access to social protection for their citizens living abroad’. This was followed by an analysis of social protection policies for expatriates in 40 countries, including the 27 EU member states. The results were published in three books, which are available online for free (New window).

First observation: European citizens living in another EU member state enjoy a series of guaranteed rights. The European legislative framework and bilateral agreements protect them from discrimination compared to nationals in their country of residence. 'For certain benefits such as pensions and family allowances, they can also transfer the benefits acquired in one member state to another, subject to certain conditions,’ adds J-M Lafleur.

European emigrants outside the EU: contrasting social protection

However, the situation of European citizens living outside the EU is much more varied.

To analyse their situation, the study uses the concept of social protection infrastructure, which has two components:

• descriptive infrastructure (presence of representatives from the country of origin – consulate, public institutions, expatriate representative bodies, etc. – in the country of residence);
• substantive infrastructure (extension of social performance and rights from the country of origin to the country of residence + support services offered to expatriates facing various social risks).

‘In terms of descriptive infrastructure, the 10 countries best represented abroad are, unsurprisingly, countries with a history of emigration in southern and eastern Europe, as well as France. France has historically developed a strong diplomatic and consular presence abroad,’ explains J-M Lafleur, supported by a detailed country-by-country graph documenting the study (New window).

In terms of substantive infrastructure, the situation for expatriates appears much more contrasting when it comes to issues such as unemployment, healthcare, pensions, family allowances and guaranteed minimum income. ‘With the exception of France and Belgium, EU member states offer little support to their citizens living outside the EU,’ summarises J-M Lafleur. This is confirmed by the table in the study listing social benefits by country (New window).

The inspiring exceptions of France and Belgium

Extensive studies by researchers at ULiège comparing the French (New window) and Belgian (New window) cases rank these two countries among the most protective of their citizens abroad in terms of social security coverage. 'This reality can be explained partly by the colonial history of the two countries: they developed specific public policies to protect active workers in this context'. In France, this includes the little-known but highly advanced work of the Caisse des Français de l'Étranger (CFE), and in Belgium, the better-known OSS.

While historical factors explain the existence of more developed social protection for French and Belgian expatriates, J-M Lafleur questions the usefulness of other states following suit. In a context of increasing international mobility and tighter social protection policies, the idea of protecting citizens living abroad deserves greater attention from many other member states, in his view. 'By responding to the needs of their populations abroad, they would also contribute to the much-needed awareness that better coordination of national social protection systems is essential to guarantee the right to social protection for both immigrants and emigrants in Europe. ‘