FBTA
Founded in 1984, the Finnish Business Travel Association is an organization for business travel buyers and suppliers, with the mission to enhance the understanding, knowledge and skills required in corporate travel and meetings management as well as procurement.
Pitkälti BT4Europen määrätietoisen vaikuttamistyön seurauksena Euroopan neuvosto ja parlamentti esittävät A1-todistusvaatimuksen poistamista lyhyiltä työmatkoilta. Muutos vahvistunee lähikuukausien aikana ja tulee vahvistamisen jälkeen voimaan kaikissa EU-jäsenvaltioissa.
BT4Europen 27.4. julkaistu tiedote on kokonaisuudessaan luettavissa here.
European travel buyers network BT4Europe has urged the European Commission to reduce administrative burdens and reform the "outdated" A1 certification requirements for short-term business travel.
Full BTN Europe article
The EU's A1 form, which was introduced in 2010, requires travellers to provide proof of payment of social security in another member state and this currently includes short-term business travellers crossing between countries.
BT4Europe wants a 14-day exemption from the A1 requirements to be introduced for activities such as business meetings, trade fairs and training events to reduce the administrative burden on organisations. The association is also calling for an expanded definition of business travel to include more temporary professional activities, such as client meetings, internal audits, industry events, and recruitment efforts.
At the end of 2022, the Pension Security Board issued instructions on how to apply for an A1 certificate for working abroad. The guidance has now been clarified for short meetings and business trips, for example:
"However, for short trips for meetings, business and official business, it is not necessary to apply for an A1 certificate unless it is known that the host country requires it. The likelihood of needing a certificate is low for this type of business trip. If it later becomes apparent that an A1 certificate is required, for example by a foreign body or in the event of an accident at work during the journey, it can be applied for retrospectively."
ETK links:
How to apply for an A1 certificate for short meetings and business trips
Ilmarinen's press release on the subject is available at here.
If you work abroad, you must apply for A1 certificate from the Pension Security Centre as proof that you are covered by Finnish social security, regardless of the duration of your work abroad. Without an A1 certificate, you must be insured in the country of work. Anyone going abroad on a short business or educational trip or working remotely must also apply for an A1 certificate. The certificate must be applied for when working in an EU/EEA country, Switzerland, the UK or a country with a social security agreement. The application is made by the employer.
FBTA organises 7.3. a webinar with the Pension Security Centre's international affairs specialist Marjaana Lundqvist provides background information on the EU regulation on the A1 certificate and answers questions from participants. After 15 minutes for an introduction, we will open the discussion; the duration of the webinar will depend on the number of questions but will not exceed 1 hour.
The webinar is free of charge for representatives of FBTA member companies and you are welcome to forward the invitation to your organisation's HR department.
Registration by Thursday 2.3. The Teams link will be sent to registrants the day before the webinar.
Welcome!
If you work abroad, you must apply for A1 certificate from the Pension Security Centre as proof that you are covered by Finnish social security, regardless of the duration of your work abroad. Without an A1 certificate, you must be insured in the country of work. Anyone going abroad on a short business or educational trip or working remotely must also apply for an A1 certificate. The certificate must be applied for when working in an EU/EEA country, Switzerland, the UK or a country with a social security agreement. The application is made by the employer.
FBTA organises 7.3. a webinar with the Pension Security Centre's international affairs specialist Marjaana Lundqvist provides background information on the EU regulation on the A1 certificate and answers questions from participants. After 15 minutes for an introduction, we will open the discussion; the duration of the webinar will depend on the number of questions but will not exceed 1 hour.
The webinar is free of charge for representatives of FBTA member companies and you are welcome to forward the invitation to your organisation's HR department.
Registration by Thursday 2.3. The Teams link will be sent to registrants the day before the webinar.
Welcome!