MEPs approved the regulation that has as main aim to reinforce the social protection for cross-border workers, which will reinforce at the same time the functioning of the single market. Among others, airline staff and cross-border self-employed workers will benefit of these new rules.

The European Parliament gave the green light to the general approach agreed by the Council on the 1 of December 2011, in which it strengthens the workers social protection through new rules on the the coordination of social security systems. According to the responsible of this subject in the EP, the MEP Milan Cabrnoch, the new rules will improve the functioning of the single market by enhancing the social protection of a high number of mobile workers in the EU such as aircrew members and cross-border self-employed workers. 8 out of 10 questions done to the Commission's services deal with social security issues, residence rights, work-related issues, migration and cars, according to a survey results published in February 2012.

Among the new rules, the regulation introduces the concept of a "home base" for granting aircrew members access to social security rights. This concept intends to avoid legal loopholes in European legislation that in the past allowed a few low-cost airlines to apply social security systems that are deemed to be the least onerous, irrespective of the crew member's home base.

In addition, the regulation clarifies the situation of cross-border self-employed workers (one who returns to his or her home country at least once a week), as regards access to unemployment benefits. If a self-employed person who works in another EU country, contributes to its unemployment schemes, and then returns to his or her home country which does not have unemployment insurance for the self-employed, then the country where he or she last worked should pay the unemployment benefits.