Pearle*-Live Performance Europe welcomes the European Commission’s Fair Labour Mobility Package presented on 15 September and, in particular, the proposal to establish a European Social Security Pass (ESSPASS).

Pearle* welcomes the broader approach taken by the package, which brings together the ESSPASS and four other legislative initiatives, including on skills portability, recognition of qualifications, and the role of the European Labour Authority. This is a positive recognition that labour mobility cannot be improved through one measure alone. For sectors characterised by frequent and short-term cross-border work, progress is needed both on administrative simplification and on the practical application of mobility rules across Member States.

These objectives closely reflect the findings of Pearle*’s recent mobility report, Unleashing the Potential of the European Live Performance Sector, which highlighted divergent administrative procedures, lengthy processes and compliance costs as persistent barriers to mobility in the live performance sector. The proposed ESSPASS is particularly relevant in this regard. The digitalisation of the Portable Document A1 and its integration into the EU Digital Identity Wallet respond directly to the sector’s call for simpler, more consistent and more accessible procedures for cross-border work.

Pearle* will therefore follow the forthcoming discussions in the European Parliament and the Council closely and hopes for a timely conclusion of the legislative process. The effectiveness of the initiative for highly mobile sectors such as live performance will ultimately depend on the adoption and implementation of solutions that are simple, interoperable and workable in practice across all Member States.