Business Travel for Europe (BT4Europe) has embraced a provisional agreement between the European Parliament and the European Council which aims to reduce administrative burdens faced by short-term cross-border business mobility.
The change would mean that business trips and short-term cross-border postings will no longer need an A1 certificate, which is a form that clarifies tax responsibilities.
The additional bureaucracy it necessitates has been a long-standing concern for businesses operating across the Single Market.
Following several years of deadlock due to the complexity of the issue, the breakthrough is especially welcome.
The European Network of Business Travel Associations (known as BT4Europe) had maintained a consistent dialogue with authorities throughout, highlighting the operational burden and its disparity with today’s business realities.
“This is a landmark achievement for business travel in Europe,” said Odete Pimenta da Silva, on behalf of BT4Europe.
“Removing the A1 requirement for short-term cross-border business travel eliminates a disproportionate administrative burden that affected millions of trips each year. It also demonstrates that, even after years of stalled negotiations, pragmatic solutions at EU level are possible when there is clear alignment on the needs of the Single Market.”
Barbara Weizsäcker, on behalf of the European Exhibition Industry Alliance, said: “We highly welcome the progress made on short-term mobility, which is critical for industries such as exhibitions and events. It represents a relevant simplification for exhibitors, visitors of trade fairs, all other attendees of meetings and events and general travel for professional reasons within the EU.
“However, parts of the revised framework do not yet fully reflect the highly dynamic and project-based cross-border nature of our sector. Ensuring proportionate and workable rules across all forms of temporary mobility will be essential going forward.”
