(1)

Article 71(1)(a) of Regulation (EEC) No 1408/71 contains a provision constituting an exemption, in the case of frontier workers who are wholly unemployed, from the general principle of lex loci laboris set out in Article 13(2)(a) of the said Regulation.

(2)

The Court of Justice of the European Communities has ruled that in order to determine whether a frontier worker is to be regarded as partially unemployed or wholly unemployed within the meaning of Article 71(1)(a) of the said Regulation, uniform Community criteria must be applied. Such assessment may not be made on the basis of criteria drawn from national law (2).

(3)

As the practices of the national social security institutions in the various Member States reflect differences in interpretation as regards determination of the type of unemployment, it is important to specify the scope of the said Article with a view to the adoption of uniform and balanced criteria for the purposes of application of the Article by the said institutions.

(4)

The Court of Justice of the European Communities has ruled that where a frontier worker no longer has any link with the competent Member State and is wholly unemployed, unemployment benefits are to be provided by the institution of the place of residence at its own expense.

(5)

An assessment of whether or not an employment link exists or is maintained is based entirely on the national legislation of the State of employment.

(6)

The objective of protecting frontier workers pursued by Article 71 of the Regulation would not be achieved if a worker who remained employed by the same undertaking in a Member State other than that in whose territory he resides — his activity being suspended — were nevertheless regarded as wholly unemployed, thus requiring him to apply to the institution of his place of residence in order to obtain unemployment benefits,