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By Law No. 153 of 16 October 2025, Italy ratified the Social Security Agreement signed in July 2014 with North Macedonia. This Agreement replaces the previous Convention concluded with the former Yugoslavia, which has been in force since 1 January 1961 and is still applied in relations between Italy and North Macedonia.
The Agreement therefore marks the beginning of a new phase in the coordination of the two countries’ social security systems, to the benefit of workers moving from one State to the other.
As a bilateral instrument for the coordination of social security systems, the Agreement lays down provisions aimed at harmonising the respective national legislations and facilitating international labour mobility.
It should be emphasised that the provisions of the Agreement are not yet operative. Its entry into force requires completion of the Administrative Arrangement, ratification by Italy, and the exchange of instruments of ratification between the two States, a step that has not yet taken place. Pursuant to Article 48, the Agreement will take effect on the first day of the third month following such an exchange.
Key features of the Agreement
The Agreement consists of 48 articles divided into five Titles and replaces the Social Security Convention concluded with the former Yugoslavia in 1957, which is still applied in relations between Italy and North Macedonia.
Title I (Articles 1–4) – General provisions: defines the personal and material scope of application of the Agreement, as well as the principles of equal treatment and exportability of benefits.
Title II (Articles 5–11) – Applicable legislation: sets out the rules for determining the applicable social security legislation in cases of cross-border employment. Of particular importance are the provisions on posting, which allow a worker temporarily sent to the other State to remain subject to the legislation of the State of origin, thereby avoiding double contributions and ensuring continuity of insurance coverage.
Title III (Articles 12–34) – Special provisions: contains rules on sickness, maternity, pensions, accidents at work, occupational diseases, unemployment and family benefits, including Article 18 (entitlement without totalisation), Article 19 (totalisation of insurance periods), Article 22 (minimum pension supplement) and Article 25 (occupational diseases).
Title IV (Articles 35–45) – Administrative provisions: governs cooperation between the competent institutions, the exchange of information and mutual assistance mechanisms.
Title V (Articles 46–48) – Transitional and final provisions: regulates the entry into force, which will occur only after the exchange of the instruments of ratification.
Scope of application
With regard to Italy, the Agreement applies to the main compulsory social security schemes, including:
- the general compulsory insurance scheme for invalidity, old age and survivors for employed persons;
- the special schemes for self-employed workers and the separate management scheme (Gestione separata);
- sickness insurance benefits;
- family benefits;
- unemployment insurance;
- special schemes for specific categories of workers.
As for the personal scope, the Agreement covers:
- persons who are or have been subject to the legislation of one or both Contracting States;
- their family members and survivors;
- refugees and stateless persons subject to the legislation of one or both States, as well as their family members and survivors.
The Agreement does not apply to the legislation of either State concerning social pensions or other non-contributory benefits financed from public funds, nor to the minimum pension supplement, except as provided for in Article 22, which specifically regulates that benefit in cases where pensions are awarded on the basis of totalisation.
Reduction of financial burdens
The technical report accompanying the ratification law highlights that the Italy–North Macedonia Agreement replaces the 1957 Convention with the former Yugoslavia, which was designed to protect Italian communities abroad but has become particularly burdensome.
The new Agreement introduces more modern and sustainable rules, reducing financial burdens through stricter requirements for international totalisation (from a single contribution to one year), limiting the exportability of unemployment benefits (from six to three months), and suspending family allowances where comparable benefits are granted in the other State (Article 34).
Article 3 provides that the costs arising from Article 22, expected to increase from 2025 to 2034, will be covered by the savings generated under Article 31, without any additional burden on the State budget. The administrations involved will operate using the resources available under existing legislation.
Overall, the new Agreement is more stringent but less costly than the current Convention.
Temporary postings
The Agreement lays down specific rules for workers temporarily posted from one Contracting State to the other:
- Employed workers: where a worker subject to the legislation of one State is employed by an employer established in that State and is temporarily posted to the other State, the worker remains subject exclusively to the legislation of the State of origin, as if working there, provided that the posting does not exceed 24 months.
- Self-employed workers: a person who normally pursues a self-employed activity in one State and temporarily carries it out in the other State remains insured under the legislation of the State of origin, provided that the stay in the other State does not exceed 24 months.
These provisions prevent double social security contributions, ensure continuity of social protection during the posting, and simplify administrative obligations for both workers and employers.
Entry into force and transitional period
As noted above, bilateral social security conventions and agreements are intended to coordinate the legislation of the Contracting States and to facilitate worker mobility.
For the Agreement to enter fully into force, the procedural steps provided for must be completed, including the conclusion of the Administrative Arrangement, ratification by Italy, and the exchange of instruments of ratification with the partner State. This procedure distinguishes such agreements from the EU coordination system established by EU regulations and association agreements.
Article 47 provides that the rules apply to benefit claims submitted from the date of entry into force and also take into account insurance periods completed prior to that date, without however conferring entitlement to benefits in respect of periods preceding entry into force. Entitlements relating to insured events occurring before entry into force remain unaffected.
Pursuant to Article 48, the Agreement will become effective on the first day of the third month following the exchange of the instruments of ratification. The ratification law (Law No. 153 of 16 October 2025), which entered into force on 28 October 2025, authorises the Government to complete the procedure but does not yet render the Agreement operative. Until then, national legislation continues to apply and, for pre-existing situations, the former Italo-Yugoslav Convention of 1957 remains in force, to be replaced only as of the effective date of the new Agreement.
