EEA Agreement
Example: Those who have already earned the right to receive pensions do not lose these earned rights even if they move to another EEA country. The earned pension rights are paid out once the pension age is reached.
The Regulation contains harmonization rules and principles on non-discrimination, the allocation of residence and employment periods, payment of insurance benefits from the country and on the recognition of rights.
The EEA rules on social security do not stipulate that social security rights in the member states should be the same nor are they consolidated.
The EEA rules cover the following categories of social security:
The following categories of benefits are harmonized:
Medical benefits
Compensation for mothers during pregnancy and birth and equivalent compensation for fathers
Disability benefits
Old-age benefits
Survivor benefits
Compensation for work-related accidents and occupational diseases
Death benefits
Unemployment benefits
Benefits granted before the legal retirement age
Family benefits
The social security legislation of the EEA countries is in many ways very different in content and structure. Regulations of the European Parliament and of the Council no. 883/2004, no. 987/2009 and no. 988/2009 on the coordination of social security systems are special rules on the application of the legislation of the countries. Introduced in Iceland by regulation no. 442/2012.
The EEA rules cover payments from Iceland Health:
The EEA rules cover all benefits and social security payments, for example:
Compensation and payments from health insurance, such as healthcare, health care services, hospital stay, general medical care outside hospitals, examinations and treatment by specialist doctors, medicines, travel and transportation costs, nursing in home care, assistive devices, training and more.
Compensation and payments from accident insurance, such as medical care, daily allowance, disability compensation and death compensation.
The EEA rules cover the following persons:
Citizens of a member state, stateless persons and refugees who reside in a member state and have been subject to the legislation of one or more member states, as well as their relatives and survivors.
The EFTA-EEA states expressed reservations so that only citizens of the EEA can enjoy the preferential rights of the EEA rules.
The main principles of the EEA rules:
The regulations of the European Parliament and the Council on the coordination of social security systems in the EEA states contain certain principles for the uniform and continuous application of the legislation of the member states:
Citizens of one member state are treated equally in another member state to citizens of that state
Persons covered by the regulations of the European Parliament and the Council on the coordination of social security systems of the EEA states should only be covered by the legislation of one of the member states at any given time
Insurance institutions in the member states shall take into account the aggregate periods of insurance or periods of service in the countries of previous residence or employment in so far as is necessary to cancel or ‘delete’ periods of waiting in the country of transfer or of entry into employment
Payments for the categories covered by the regulations of the European Parliament and the Council on the coordination of social security systems in the EEA-states are maintained even if they are transferred to another member state.
Service provider
Iceland Health