Questions/Answers

INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL SECURITY INFORMATION DAYS “Uniting Europe at the grass roots” Twenty-five years ago, the Istituto Nazionale della Previdenza Sociale (INPS) of Italy, in collaboration with the Deutsche Rentenversicherung (DRV) of Germany , the Schweizerische Ausgleichskasse (SAK) of Switzerland and the Pension Versicherungsanstalt of Austria, established a service, through which, each year, information about contributions and pension rights is delivered to relevant migrant workers upon personal invitation. This service, called “International social security information days”, consists of experts from the involved Institutions who deliver their expertise to migrants directly at the premises of the other country institutions. The workers who have paid contributions in one or more of the foreign Institutions receive clear information about their contribution records, which enable them to make future pension choices. Thanks to this initiative, the repatriated migrant workers are able to receive information regarding their contribution paid in a foreign country directly through their relevant foreign institution. Thus, by example, Italian citizens living and working abroad can directly access INPS experts in the country where they are residing, During the last 25 years, 63,834 individuals have received social security advice during 718 days. Since 1995 the consulting number has increased steadily, thereby confirming the positive appreciation of the initiative by the migrant workers, thus encouraging INPS to go further. The “International social security information days” deliver a service which can be considered the “best practice” at the European level and a way of unifying Europeans at the grass roots level by effectively shortening the distance between migrant workers and the various foreign institutions which they have to deal with.

The “International social security days” initiative is aligned to the 1.Category because through this service the information about the social rights of migrant workers can be delivered directly in their country of residence. The migrant workers can overcome the complexity of obtaining the information about national and foreign countries social security legislation in a single consultation where INPS and foreign institutions officials are present at the same time. Even though the European coordination regulations widely protect the free movement of workers, it is difficult for them being clearly informed about their social security rights

As the Goal 1) says: "...Poverty has many dimensions, but its causes include unemployment, social exclusion, and high vulnerability of certain populations..." In Italy, especially the southern regions and other parts, have a high rate of unemployment, for some reasons, some of which endemic to the economic and territorial environment. Therefore, from the past to nowadays many workers have emigrated. Despite all the economic and social policies implemented during the years since the end of the second world war, the lack of jobs in these regions persists. The initiative of "International social security information days" is aimed to inform the migrant workers about their social security rights in Italy and abroad, thus making them aware of the pension benefits and social allowances they can apply for. In so doing, INPS helps the repatriated workers "to get what is theirs".

This initiative has various interesting aspects for “migrant workers" which can be considered sustainable in social, economic and environmental terms. 1)These migrations of people are the evidence that Europe is a living entity where the borders are open and opportunities are available for all. The initiative implements this possibility by helping the migrants workers in claiming for their social security rights. 2) through these information they can receive the pension benefits that prevent them to be poor in old age. 3) The one-go information that is given at INPS or at foreign institutions premises reduces impact on environment

Some of the migrant workers have a low level of education. Therefore, for them it is complicated to obtain and have access to their social security rights. Moreover some social security regulations are complex. The initiative "International social security information days" delivers an accurate information to workers on the move from Italy to Switzerland, Germany and Austria, in so doing all the workers are informed and can apply for their rights. The “International social security information days” deliver a service which can be considered the “best practice” at the European level and a way of unifying Europeans at the grass roots level by effectively shortening the distance between migrant workers and the various foreign institutions which they have to deal with.

The gender aspect. The service can regard women in particular, who have worked abroad and even brought up their children far from their countries. In some cases unaware about the social security rights they were untitled to. These women migrant workers have contributed to the economic growth of other European Countries, therefore they deserve the same treatment of any citizens residing in the national territory and furthermore they deserve to be informed accurately of their rights under the European Regulations.

The target group is MIGRANT WORKERS and the initiative is aimed to support them in obtaining information about their social security rights in all the countries they have worked and paid contributions. This service starts with an annual meeting of the four institutions during which it is determined the number of migrant workers to contact for consulting, by considering their age. (The workers invited are the closest to pension age.) It is also selected the towns with the highest number of migrant workers to be informed and afterwards a calendar is set up with the dates of the consulting activity. Most of the workers invited are completely unaware about the pension benefits they are entitled to. This benefits are given by the operation called "totalization of contribution" (the total contribution paid in all the countries they have worked) under the European regulations. The outcomes of the initiative is to inform the migrant workers who can apply for their pension or other benefits.

Twenty-five years ago, the Istituto Nazionale della Previdenza Sociale (INPS) of Italy, in collaboration with the Deutsche Rentenversicherung (DRV) of Germany , the Schweizerische Ausgleichskasse (SAK) of Switzerland and the Pension Versicherungsanstalt of Austria, established a service, through which, each year, information about contributions and pension rights is delivered to relevant migrant workers upon personal invitation. During the last 25 years, 63,834 individuals have received social security advice during 718 days. Since 1995 the consulting number has increased steadily, thereby confirming the positive appreciation of the initiative by the migrant workers, thus encouraging INPS to go further. The organization oversees the advertising of the event at the local level with all the available means including: signs at the institutions' offices, to local press and television releases, to information provided by workers’ associations. The officials of the institutions involved directly contact the migrant workers, included in the annual selected audience, by mail, email and telephone call and invite them to schedule an appointment for advice. Bearing in mind that the data of 2019 is not yet complete, the 2019 "social security information days" were highly appreciated by users, as confirmed by the positive results of the latest customer satisfaction survey, conducted by the INPS Central Organization and Information Systems Department in the Italian offices. From a total of 1013 people who took advantage of the consultancy at the INPS offices, those who agreed to answer the questions in the interview were 813, equivalent to 80.2% of the users. Out of a sample of 813 users interviewed, the average level of global approval of the service, on a scale of 1 to 4, stood at a value of 3.91, an increase compared to the same survey conducted in 2016 where the average value of global rating was 3.87.

There were encountered no obstacles, thanks to the collaboration of all the institutions involved and the availability of their officials and experts.

The innovation of the initiative is based on the fact that the INPS, which is a public institution and its actions are therefore established by law, in setting up this service goes beyond its duties. In so doing, this initiative shortens the distance between the workers and the public institutions by reversing the approach which starts from the Institutions towards the workers. At an European level this service shows the collaboration of the 4 countries involved.

This Initiative as such “International social security days”, it is totally new and unique in its design and realization.

This information is not known by our institution

Initiative as such “International social security days”, should be replicated by institutions of other countries, where workers emigrated abroad looking for better jobs and in other areas of the public service, where sharing of efforts between entities, translates into great benefits for citizens and the State.

The initiative has been implemented with internal resources at any level.

The sustainability of this initiative derives from the fact that is carried out with internal resources at any level

Yes

The initiative has been evaluated by INPS Central Directorate of Organization and IT. The evaluation is based on a customer satisfaction survey for the 2019 and a collection of data related of the four year period 2016-2019

The goal of the evaluation report is about measuring the overall satisfaction level of workers on the initiative and other aspects regarding the quality of service received. Up to 10/16/2019, 813 interviews have been carried out. Good level of participation. 1013 persons have received consulting at the INPS premises, of which 813 have been interviewed (80.2%) The most of respondents were enthusiastic about the initiative, considering it very useful (84%), quite useful (15%) Less useful (1,%) Useless (0,2%) The respondents’ average evaluation is of 3.83 on a scale from 1 to 4

The users were asked to evaluate on a scale of 1-4 some features of the initiative. Most of the respondents expressed a very satisfying overall evaluations 3,96 on the helpfulness of officials 3,82 on means of communicating the initiative. Showing the appreciation about the initiative and the officials, the workers expressed a great satisfaction about the human and technological resources put in place. THe impacts on workers and the sustainability resulted absolutely positive. Findings and outcomes are better explained in the attached documents

The Initiative can be consider a success thanks to the horizontal collaboration of the four European social security institutions of Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. At vertical level is an example of "best practice" in the application of European regulations and promoting social security coordination among EU nations.

AS already said in more than one box, this Initiative has been set up thanks to the collaboration , engagement and inclusion of four European social security institutions of four European countries. The stakeholders are the officials of INPS and other 3 foreign institutions. The "Patronati", Italian associations for social support to citizens. The engagement dated back to 1995 and was required by the need of the States to guarantee the pension rights to migrant workers who have paid contribution abroad.

The first important lesson learned by this initiative is that the European coordination regulations widely protect the free movement of workers. This initiative unifies Europeans at the grass roots level by effectively shortening the distance between migrant workers and the various foreign institutions which they have to deal with. The organizational machine of the International Social Security Information Days is already on the move for the planning and organization of appointments for 2020. Future projects are oriented towards an ever closer collaboration between social security institutions in the interests of the migrant workers so that, thanks to the greater dissemination of information and institutional support, they can obtain information about their current social security status as soon as possible and gain access, if the right arises, to available social security benefits. INPS strongly believes in continuing to deliver this service to its migrant workers, by reaching out them anywhere they live either in Italy or abroad.