News

Although several measures have been taken in recent years to solve problems in cross-border employment, harmonisation of tax and social security systems between countries is still a bridge too far, Professor Marjon Weerepas stated in her inaugural speech entitled 'Border workers: coordinating, not because it is not possible, but because it is necessary'. 

On 19 November Prof. dr. Anouk Bollen (ITEM / Maastricht University, Faculty of Law), was a guest on the regional television programme L1 AvondGasten. Together with members of the European Parliament she took part in a discussion about several European themes. They discussed ITEM's focus, as well as the recently published Cross-border Impact Assessment. The discussion was led by Sander Kleikers of L1.

In March the German coalition agreed to a subsidy aimed at stimulating young families' own home ownership financially. Only  people living in Germany are eligible. What does this mean for taxpaying frontier workers? The Baukindergeld was examined in the framework of ITEM’s annual Cross-border Impact Assessment .

The ITEM Cross-border Impact Assessment 2018 has been published! The report is intended as a valuable tool for policy makers at regional, national and European level when taking decisions on legislation and regulations with (additional) effects for border regions.

In order to cope with labour market shortages and abundances in the area of child care work it has been proposed that Dutch child care workers be employed across the border in Germany. However, recognition procedures have proven to stand in the way of the swift labour market access of Dutch child care workers. A current complaint procedure is aimed at finding out whether the cross-border mobility of child care workers may be facilitated. 

In the Belastingplan 2019 (Dutch Tax Plan 2019) Amendment Memorandum, the State Secretary for Finance announced that the reduction of the 30% ruling from 8 to 5 years will be granted a transitional period after all. The new duration of the ruling depends on the current end date.

The Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports has responded in a letter to the House of Representatives, which has ensured that a recommendation from the report Grenswerkers in Europa (frontier workers in Europe) has been resolved.

A first document has been published as part of the B-Solutions project “Roadmap and factsheet for the recognition of qualifications for highly demanded professions”. The goal of the project, submitted by the Province of Limburg (NL) as lead applicant and carried out by Expertise Centre ITEM, is to develop roadmaps and factsheets aimed at boosting cross-border mobility and employability by improving recognition

The activities for the B-Solutions project “Roadmap and factsheet for the recognition of qualifications for highly demanded professions” have recently started. This project, submitted by the Province of Limburg (NL) as lead applicant and carried out by ITEM, brings together partners along the Dutch border comprising partners from the Netherlands, Belgium, North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony. 

MUMC+ is cooperating with parties in the Euregio Meuse-Rhine on the establishment of a Euregional Centre for Paediatric Surgery. This process leads to a large number of questions and challenges. One of these concerns the education and training of paediatric surgeons in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany and their mobility between the three countries. ITEM researches this topic on behalf of the MUMC+.