TESTA speeds up and simplifies the exchange of social data

TESTA speeds up and simplifies in a secure way the exchange of social data between EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Thanks to TESTA, Europeans who have lived and worked in several of the participating countries get their social security benefits calculated and paid quicker and more efficiently.

 

The social security institutions rely on TESTA, a data communication network service supported by ISA², to exchange information digitally through the Electronic Exchange of Social Security Information system (EESSI).

 

TESTA is a European backbone network for data exchange between a wide variety of public administrations. It provides guaranteed performance and a high level of security and interoperability. The network is used by EU institutions and agencies, as well as EU countries and organisations acting on their behalf.



EESSI is an IT system that uses TESTA to ensure a faster, easier and more secure exchange of social security information related to for example sickness, accidents at work, pensions, unemployment and family benefits, as required by the EU rules on social security coordination. Before EESSI most exchanges were paper-based. Now social security institutions use standardised electronic forms in their own language which ensure that the data exchanged is correct and complete.

  

The social security cross-border exchanges using TESTA are currently fully operational in 5 countries and partly in 26 countries. 

 

By 2022, full electronic exchange of social security information in the 32 participating countries is expected to become a reality.