FYR Macedonia/October 2015
Within the last year, FYR Macedonia has been actively working on concluding and ratifying social security agreements with a number of countries. Bilateral agreements on social security are signed in order to facilitate nationals of one state who are employed or living in the other state to exercise their rights to social security in that other state, including the right to health insurance or pension.
Currently, social security agreements have been signed with over twenty countries, including many European as well as more distant jurisdictions, such as Canada (2011) and Australia (2011).
In May 2015, FYR Macedonia ratified the social security agreement signed with the Slovak Republic in 2014. The agreement replaces the previous one concluded between former Yugoslavia and former Czechoslovakia. During the same month, FYR Macedonia also ratified the social security agreement concluded with Hungary in 2014.
In terms of social security agreements signed within the last year but still pending ratification, worth noting are those concluded with neighboring Albania (March 2015) as well as with Italy (September 2014).
Social security agreements are particularly useful in cases of employee secondment or temporary residence in another country. Most such agreements are accompanied by administrative conventions or protocols which regulate the procedures for exercising the rights to social security.
Elena Kostovska
Eurofast Skopje Office
elena.kostovska@eurofast.eu