Accidents at Work and Occupational Diseases

Abstract

The new rules on coordination of benefits for accidents at work and occupational diseases, contained in Articles 36–41 of Regulation 883/2004, offer an interesting example of successful simplification of coordination rules, one of the central goals of the reform. Whereas Regulation 1408/71 needed 13 articles to carry out coordination, the new Regulation contains only 6. The main mechanism that provides for this simplification is the referral in Article 36 Regulation 883/2004 to the similar rules on health care, and the abolition of provisions on the assimilation of facts or events that was made possible by the introduction of a general norm on this aspect (Article 5 Regulation 883/2004). Criticism, however, has to be levelled against the complete preclusion of cost sharing between Member States in the area of occupational diseases.