The European pillar of social rights : an EU-level response to the social protection of the (economically) dependent self-employed?

Bagari, Sara (author)

The problem of the economically dependent self-employed has been highlighted in various reports at the beginning of the 21st century and remains relevant today. Dealing with this issue seems particularly appropriate due to the growing number of the economically dependent self-employed, the development of cross-border services, and the variety of approaches taken by different countries in this area. In this regard, the social protection of the economically dependent self-employed is an issue that concerns the European Union as a whole. The article focuses primarily on the challenge of adapting the social security systems of the economically dependent self-employed or, in general, the challenges deriving from the legal recognition of economically dependent self-employed work in the social security system. The first question that the author endeavours to answer is the definition of an economically dependent self-employed person. This is definitely a challenging task, especially due to the unclear boundaries between the concepts of a dependent self-employed person, an economically dependent self-employed person, and a bogus self-employed person. The concepts are intertwined, and their use in the literature is different. In addition, the second question is what level and extent of legal protection should be afforded to an economically dependent person. Economic dependence can be the basis for limited labour protection, (a greater scope of) social security rights, or both. Countries have addressed the issue of economically dependent self-employed people differently. Some derive from the assumption that persons who work mostly for one client (which means that they are economically dependent on them) are, in fact, employees. Others have created a special legal category in which the person receives special treatment in the social security system vis-à-vis other self-employed persons. In the final part, the article focuses on the economically dependent self-employed in the light of international and European legal acts. Thus, the author`s attention is focused on the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR) and documents further developing the principles established by the EPSR. In terms of the response at EU level, more attention should be given to the specifics of dependent self-employment. When adapting social security systems to the new forms of work we should keep in mind, therefore, that self-employment covers a broad spectrum of social and economic situations, and that some of these (including the dependent self-employed) should be approached in a different way.

• Language: English
• Keywords: dependent self-employed, economically dependent self-employed, social protection, European Pillar of Social Rights
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: PF - Faculty of Law
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2020
• Number of pages: Str. 101-118, 164-165, 175-176
• Numbering: Letn. 80
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-141343
• UDC: 331.102.12:349
• ISSN on article: 1854-3839
• COBISS.SI-ID: 27343107

Copyright

Licenca CC BY-ND je navedena v kazalu Zbornika znanstvenih razprav, vol. 80, https://www.pf.uni-lj.si/en/publisher/zzr-33190/special-issue-vol-2020/ (19. 7. 2023)

Note

Posebna številka revije z naslovom Perspectives on the European Pillar of Social Rights

• Publication date in RUL: 28.09.2022

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Zbornik znanstvenih razprav
• Shortened title: Zb. znan. razpr.
• Publisher: Pravna fakulteta
• ISSN: 1854-3839
• COBISS.SI-ID: 223437312

Licences

• License: CC BY-ND 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/
• Description: Under the NoDerivatives Creative Commons license one can take a work released under this license and re-distribute it, but it cannot be shared with others in adapted form, and credit must be provided to the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Evropski steber socialnih pravic : odziv na zagotavljanje socialne zaščite ekonomsko odvisnih samozaposlenih na ravni EU

Abstract

Vprašanje ekonomsko odvisnih samozaposlenih je bilo poudarjeno v različnih poročilih na začetku 21. stoletja in (hkrati z drugimi nestandardnimi oblikami zaposlitve in samozaposlitve) ostaja aktualno še danes. Obravnava te tematike se zdi še posebej primerna zaradi čedalje večjega števila ekonomsko odvisnih samozaposlenih, razvoja čezmejnih storitev in različnih pristopov držav na tem področju. Socialna varnost ekonomsko odvisnih samozaposlenih je vprašanje, ki zadeva Evropsko unijo kot celoto. Prispevek obravnava izziv prilagajanja sistemov socialne varnosti ekonomsko odvisnim samozaposlenim. Prvo vprašanje, na katerega je treba odgovoriti še pred obravnavo vprašanja o potrebi po posebni obravnavi v sistemu socialne varnosti, je opredelitev pojma ekonomsko odvisna samozaposlena oseba. To je zahtevna naloga predvsem zaradi nejasnih mej med pojmi odvisna samozaposlena oseba, ekonomsko odvisna samozaposlena oseba in navidezno neodvisna samozaposlena oseba. Pojmi se med seboj prepletajo, različna pa je tudi njihova uporaba v literaturi. Analizi opredelitve ekonomsko odvisne samozaposlene osebe je namenjen prvi del tega prispevka. Poleg tega se pojavlja vprašanje ravni in obsega pravnega varstva, ki naj se zagotavlja ekonomsko odvisni osebi. Vprašanje je, ali bi bilo primerneje, da se poleg delovnopravnega varstva ekonomska odvisnost odraža tudi v posebni obravnavi v okviru sistema socialne varnosti in ali obstaja razumen, iz narave stvari izhajajoč razlog za razlikovanje med sicer enotno skupino samozaposlenih. Pri iskanju pravega odgovora na to vprašanje ne smemo pozabiti, da tudi samozaposleni uživajo različen obseg socialne varnosti v različnih državah, zato so lahko tudi odgovori različni. Ekonomska odvisnost je lahko namreč podlaga za omejeno delovnopravno varstvo, (večji obseg) pravic iz sistema socialne varnosti ali oboje. V sistemu socialne varnosti so lahko ekonomsko odvisni samozaposleni izenačeni z drugimi zaposlenimi, lahko pa je njihov pravni položaj bližje odvisnim zaposlenim. Prispevek se zato v drugem delu osredinja na poseben pravni položaj (in pravice, ki iz njega izhajajo), ki ga imajo ekonomsko odvisne osebe v sistemu socialne varnosti nekaterih držav. V zadnjem delu so ekonomsko odvisni samozaposleni obravnavani v luči mednarodnih in evropskih pravnih virov. Poseben poudarek je na Evropskem stebru socialnih pravic in Poročilu Sveta o dostopu delavcev in samozaposlenih oseb do socialne zaščite, ki izpeljuje načelo 20 Evropskega stebra socialnih pravic. Avtorica meni, da je treba tudi na ravni EU več pozornosti nameniti posebnostim opravljanja dela v odvisni samozaposlitvi in pri prilagajanju sistemov socialne varnosti novim oblikam dela upoštevati, da samozaposlitev zajema širok spekter socialnih in ekonomskih razmer, ki lahko zahtevajo različno obravnavo.

• Keywords: odvisni samozaposleni, ekonomsko odvisni samozaposleni, socialna zaščita, sistemi socialne varnosti, Evropski steber socialnih pravic