Unemployment Insurance – Comparative, Cross-Border and EU Perspectives

Abstract

The article is centred upon the research question whether unemployed persons enjoy proper protection in national, international (cross-border) and EU law. In an attempt to reply to such question, the authors firstly compare national unemployment insurance schemes and secondly, research on how unemployment benefits are coordinated in cross-border cases. Moreover, non-coordination of social assistance schemes is addressed. With respect to coordination of unemployment benefits and social assistance schemes, the authors advocate for ways of improving the legal position of mobile unemployed persons. Lastly, some EU-wide unemployment related initiatives are highlighted, namely the European unemployment benefit scheme (EUBS) and the European instrument for temporary support to mitigate unemployment risks in an emergency (SURE) following the Covid-19 outbreak.