The European Labour Authority (ELA) dedicated 2025 to workers’ social security and the ETF has been happy to contribute to it, most recently by organising a two-day conference with the agency. Bringing together 24 ETF affiliates from 14 countries, 12 national authorities, as well as lawyers, policy experts, and representatives from the European Commission, we collectively shed light on one of the most urgent issues facing Europe’s transport workforce: the lack of effective and fair social security coverage.
Covering the aviation, road, maritime, and inland waterways sectors – those most affected by social dumping, exploitation, and workplace hazards – participants shared powerful testimonies and evidence of how systemic gaps in social protection continue to harm transport workers across Europe. The pandemic made these flaws painfully visible: countless workers suddenly found themselves without jobs, income, or healthcare support, despite having contributed to social security systems.
Discussions throughout the event highlighted how weak enforcement, fraudulent employment practices, and fragmented national systems leave workers unprotected at the very moments they most need assistance – when they are sick, unemployed, or retiring. This insecurity contributes directly to the growing labour shortages that threaten the sustainability of the entire sector. By bringing together unions, authorities, and European institutions, the ETF aimed to kick-start an open and constructive dialogue on how to ensure proper coordination of social security systems and fair treatment for all transport workers, regardless of where they work or who employs them.
Road Transport: Driving change
Gaps in the coordination of social security systems are undermining both workers’ protection and fair competition. These gaps make transport jobs increasingly insecure and place compliant companies at a disadvantage compared to those exploiting loopholes. While mechanisms exist to manage cross-border claims and complaints, the transport industry has evolved so rapidly that EU social security rules have become outdated and unfit for purpose.
The Mobility Package has successfully closed several legislative loopholes, but social security coverage remains a major challenge. National authorities are working to improve the situation through digitalisation and stronger coordination, yet the lack of a coherent EU-level framework continues to leave many mobile workers exposed.
Maritime transport: Charting a fairer course for Europe’s seafarers
Seafarers continue to face administrative barriers, unclear rules, and the risk of being insured in countries where they neither live nor work. This situation creates insecurity and confusion, discouraging younger generations from joining or staying in the industry. Participants explored whether shifting the determining criterion for social security affiliation – from the vessel’s flag state to the worker’s place of residence – could provide fairer and more practical solutions. However, the discussion highlighted the complexity of this issue and the need for a careful, sector-specific approach. There was broad agreement that stronger enforcement and more joint inspections are crucial to tackling abuse and ensuring that seafarers receive the protection they are entitled to.
Inland Waterways: Navigating the loopholes and restoring fair play
The inland waterways sector faces its own unique challenges, notably the coexistence of two parallel systems – the traditional Rhine regime and the EU’s framework for social security coordination. This overlap has created regulatory loopholes, particularly when the Rhine regime is applied by companies based outside the river basin. Compounding this are the increasingly complex employment structures, including the spread of letterbox companies, which further obscure accountability and make it difficult to guarantee fair social protection for workers.
Across both maritime and inland waterways sectors, participants called for:
Aviation: The urgent need for social security reform
In the aviation sector, workers and their trade unions continue to struggle daily for the recognition and protection of their basic rights. The highly mobile nature of air transport work often translates into uncertainty over which rights and legal systems apply, while increasingly complex and opaque business models lead to equally opaque employment relationships. Current European legislation is ill-equipped to ensure fair labour mobility in this evolving industry, and national authorities tackling these loopholes quickly realise that lasting solutions must come from the European level.
Participants emphasised the urgent need to rethink and reformulate the “home base” principle as a cornerstone of social security coordination. National authorities must take firm steps to strengthen enforcement, and greater emphasis must be placed on cross-border inspections, data exchange, and transnational cooperation. ELA must play a more active role in this process, supported by adequate resources and a stronger legal mandate from EU policymakers.
Building a fair and secure future for all transport workers
The discussions across all sectors confirmed a shared reality: EU social security coordination rules are outdated and no longer reflect the realities of modern transport work. Over the past 10 to 15 years, the industry has evolved rapidly – unfortunately, too often to the detriment of transport workers. Without urgent reforms, the consequences will deepen: a large share of the workforce is approaching retirement, with around 800,000 professional drivers expected to retire within the next five years. Ensuring guaranteed access to social, health, and unemployment benefits is therefore not only a matter of fairness, but also a key condition for attracting and retaining new workers in transport and rebuilding a sustainable, secure workforce.
The ETF will continue its internal work on this topic and present concrete proposals to address these gaps in the coming months. We appreciate ELA for taking this important first step in addressing a challenge that affects thousands of workers every day. Together, through stronger coordination, enforcement, and political will, we must ensure that every transport worker in Europe enjoys genuine social protection, dignity, and security at work.