Anti-discrimination 2.1.3 Discrimination on the grounds of nationality or ethnicity Long wait for family benefits when claiming from abroad Family allowances und child care benefits are an important financial support for every family, in particular for single parents. However, parents are sometimes confronted by massive problems when it comes to cross-border connections (for more detail see chapter 2.2.2). Cross-border checks by authorities are often lengthy The AOB is often contacted by parents or single mothers living in Austria who receive no family benefits for months, sometimes even several years, after the birth of their children because of inter-governmental evaluations by authorities. These benefits thus lose their purpose of covering basic needs. The affected families are forced into a situation in which their livelihood is at risk. EU law guarantees provisional payment after two months According to EU law, this should not be the case. The EU’s country of employment principle stipulates that, as a rule, family benefits are paid in the EU country in which the parents work. This verification of responsibility can often take a long time, especially if the parents live apart. In addition, the communication with foreign authorities can often be difficult. EU law provides for this situation to ensure that it is not borne by the parents or single mothers. The state in which the parent caring for the child lives has to pay the family benefit provisionally. Massive problems in the implementation of this regulation However, there are often problems when implementing this regulation. For this reason, the AOB approached the European Commission in 2011 and has been working hard to find a solution to these problems ever since. As it has not been possible to find a solution to date, the AOB requested a statement of opinion from the European Commission in the summer of 2016. The European Commission stipulates therein that after two months the country of residence has to provisionally pay the family benefit until the question of which country is responsible is finally clarified. AOB obtains statement from the European Commission The AOB approached the responsible Federal Ministry of Families and Youth with this statement, who then announced that they would contact the European Commission and clarify general processes. The AOB hopes that this will finally bring a solution to these problems. Harmonisation of tuberculosis mass screening failed The AOB has campaigned for a nationwide harmonisation of the regulations for TB mass screening in recent years and is thus making a contribution to removing discrimination in the health sector (see Annual Report 2014, p. 48). Unfortunately, these efforts were to no avail in the year under review. 42