BT4Europe, the European network of business travel associations, has welcomed the European Commission’s written confirmation that it supports an exemption from the obligation to request a Portable Document A1 (PDA1) for short-term business trips within the European Union (EU).

 PD A1 is an official certificate issued under EU regulations that confirms a worker remains subject to his or her home country’s social security system while working temporarily in another EU or European Economic Area country, or Switzerland.

In its official reply to BT4Europe, the commission recognized the “administrative burden” caused by the current A1 rules and confirms that an exemption for business trips is already under discussion.

 Odete Pimenta da Silva, treasurer of BT4Europe, said the commission’s confirmation is
an important milestone. She said the European business travel community has been calling for years to remove this unnecessary red tape for short-term trips. The commission’s explicit support, said Da Silva, “shows that our message has been heard.”

BT4Europe had called for a 14-day exemption for business trips, including travel to attend meetings, conferences or training sessions, alongside full digitalization of the remaining procedures. The commission confirmed that these measures are in line with its ambition to simplify rules, reduce administrative burden and foster competitiveness across the Single Market. (The European Single Market is a unified economic area that allows free movement of goods, services, capital and people across most European countries.)

 BT4Europe continues to urge European authorities to reach a swift final agreement on this exemption, according to an announcement, ensuring that short-term business travel remains frictionless, competitive and compliant within the European Union.