News item | 24-12-2021 | 15:00
Employees on the Rhine who paid double premiums between 1 May 2010 and 31 December 2015, for example in Luxembourg and the Netherlands, can, subject to certain conditions, receive a refund of the premiums they paid in another country under the Rhine navigation agreement.
Between 1 May 2010 and 31 December 2015, some Rhine passengers were confronted with double premiums. On the basis of the Rhine Sailing Agreement, they only have to pay premiums in the Netherlands. Often their employers have also withheld Luxembourg contributions from their wages. In this way the Rhine sailors have in fact paid double the burden.
Due to the particularities of the Luxembourg system and their actual situation, these Rhine vessels cannot reclaim the premiums paid in Luxembourg. Luxembourg only reimburses the premium to the employer and in many cases the employer is bankrupt. In addition, in many cases the Luxembourg deadline for applying for a refund of premium has expired. The Minister of Social Affairs and Employment and the State Secretary of Finance have promised the House to offer a solution for this group. That solution is here from now on.
The group eligible for the allowance are Rhine sailors who were confronted with double premiums during this period because their employer paid premiums in the wrong river bank state, while it is certain that the Netherlands may levy the premiums. The Rhine countries are Luxembourg, Belgium, France, Germany and Switzerland. The Scheme therefore applies not only to Rhine-farmers with an employer from Luxembourg, but also to those with employers from the other Rhine-banking States; they were at that time affiliated to the Rhine Sailing Agreement. The problem mainly arises in relation to Luxembourg.