Social security entitlement for family caregivers

Subject: Social security entitlement for family caregivers

According to COFACE Europe, 80% of care in Europe falls on the shoulders of family caregivers who, by assisting dependent family members with severe disabilities, indirectly make an economic contribution equal to 40-90% to the total cost of long-term care.

However, in a number of European countries, first and foremost Italy, these caregivers come up against significant obstacles. According to COFACE, 73% of the caregivers surveyed do not receive any financial compensation and, of these, two thirds have no access to any kind of social welfare. In addition, family caregivers often have no social security, health or insurance coverage for their care work, even though it has an adverse effect on their health and life expectancy, to the extent that around 43% of the caregivers surveyed reported physical or mental health problems. What is more, since they have to balance their working lives with their personal lives, caregivers have low employment rates and are more at risk of poverty.

Bearing in mind that it was as long ago as 2015 that Parliament’s Committee on Petitions heard a complaint about family caregivers’ rights being infringed in Italy, and in the light of this alarming situation, can the Commission answer the following questions:

1. Is it aware of this situation?

2. Can it say in which countries family caregivers are entitled to social security benefits?

3. Will the Commission encourage Member States to recognise and protect caregivers?

Answer given by Mr Schmit on behalf of the European Commission

(15 December 2021)

1. A recent study prepared for the Commission explores the incidence and costs of informal long-term care in the EU (1), and contributes to a better understanding of the situation. As announced in the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan, in 2022, the Commission will also launch a new study to map best practices in providing pension rights for care-related career breaks in occupational pension schemes.

2. According to the information available to the Commission, some Member States provide social security benefits for the carers (2). More information on informal care, including on support measures to informal carers, can be found in the study on exploring the incidence and costs of informal long-term care in the EU and in the 2021 long-term care report (3).

3. The Commission recognises the need to better support informal carers. The Work-Life Balance Directive (4) contributes to improving the situation of informal carers by introducing a carers’ leave of five days per year for workers providing personal care or support to a relative and extending the right to request flexible working arrangements for carers. As announced in the 2022 Commission work programme, the Commission will come forward with a new European Care Strategy in 2022 to support men and women in finding the best care and the best life balance for them. The European Care Strategy will build on challenges identified in the 2021 Long-term care report as well as stakeholder input received through the public consultation on the European Pillar of Social Rights and the Green Paper on Ageing.

⋅1∙ https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=738&langId=en&pubId=8423&furtherPubs=yes

⋅2∙ https://www.missoc.org/missoc-database/comparative-tables/

⋅3∙ https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=738&langId=en&pubId=8396

⋅4∙ https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32019L1158