Information for retired members of staff of the European institutions concerning the latest developments relating to the COVID-19 epidemic

Dear Sir/Madam,

Following recent developments, we wish to share with you some information concerning the COVID-19 epidemic. Even though the lockdown is gradually being eased, this is a time when some of you may still be facing difficulties, which is why we wish to remind you that our staff are here to support and assist you, regardless of your country of residence.

If you feel lonely and/or isolated and feel the need to speak to someone, you can still call our colleagues on the HR-TELE-CARE helpline +32 (0)2 295 40 00 which is open from 9.00 to 17.00 from Monday to Friday. Those of you who want to can also be put in touch with a ‘buddy’, a colleague from the European Commission with whom you can talk and who can call you on a more regular basis. If you need practical help, such as going to the pharmacy or post office, grocery shopping or walking your dog, etc., you can visit the ‘EC STAFF VOLUNTEERING COVID 19 - HELPING HANDS’ section of the ‘Small Ads’ page on My IntraComm. If you need to use one of these services but do not have access to the internet, you can call us on the HR-TELE-CARE helpline on +32 (0)2 295 40 00 and we will put you in touch with a volunteer.

 
We would also remind you of the Yammer After EC group, which is a social platform for discussing and exchanging information, specifically set up for retired members of staff of the European institutions. Yammer allows you to stay in touch and take part in discussions concerning retired members of staff (about JSIS Online or pensions, for example).

You can sign up directly on the website https://www.yammer.com/afterec/[1].

As regards your administrative procedures relating to the PMO, we are pleased to inform you that we are now able to send pension statements again. However, given that postal services are still delayed, we would invite you to consult them, and where necessary download them, via Sysper Post Activity, using your EU LOGIN. We would encourage you to use this IT tool, which enables you, among other things, to check and manage your entitlements, and in particular to limit the environmental impact of sending paper copies.

We would remind you that if you do not yet have an EU LOGIN and you wish to obtain access, please contact PMO EU LOGIN:

• for Brussels and Luxembourg, via the functional mailbox PMO‑EU‑LOGIN@ec.europa.eu or by phone on +32 (0) 2 29 76 888 between 9.30 and 12.30;
• for Ispra, by phone on +39 0332 78 30 30 between 9.30 and 12.30. You will need an email address and a mobile phone number to create your login.

Furthermore, the sending-out of paper versions of life declarations is still suspended. We reiterate that this will not have any impact on your entitlements as regards payment of your pension, which you will continue to receive. Should you have any specific questions on administrative procedures relating to your pension file, please contact PMO.4:

• For retirement/invalidity pensions:

• by email to: PMO-PENSIONS@ec.europa.eu;
• by telephone on + 32 (0)2 29 78 800 from Monday to Friday between 9.30 and 12.30.

• For recipients of a survivor’s/orphan’s pension:

• by email to: PMO-SURVIE@ec.europa.eu;
• by telephone on + 32 (0)2 29 52 017 from Monday to Friday between 9.30 and 12.30.

As regards the JSIS Welcome Offices (Brussels, Luxembourg and Ispra), they will remain closed until further notice. In order to address urgent requests, you can still call the JSIS Contact numbers +32 (0) 2 29 97777 (BRU) and +352 4301 36100 (LUX) from 9.30 to 12.30 and from 14.00 to 16.00 from Monday to Friday. For Ispra, you can call the JSIS Contact number +39 (0) 332 78 57 57 (ISP) from 9.30 to 12.30 from Monday to Friday. The JSIS team remains at your service, regardless of the situation in your country of residence.

As regards your medical expense claims, it is still not possible to use the post box intended for that purpose. We would invite you to submit them directly online via JSIS Online, using your EU LOGIN. If you are unable to use JSIS Online, you can send them by post to your Settlements Office, i.e.:

• For Brussels:

European Commission,

JSIS Brussels – Settlements Office,

1049 Bruxelles/Brussel,

• For Luxembourg,

European Commission,

JSIS Luxembourg – Settlements Office,

DRB B1/061,

2920 Luxembourg

• For Ispra:

European Commission,

JSIS Ispra – Settlements Office,

PMO.6 TP. 730,

Via Enrico Fermi, 2749,

21027 Ispra (Varese)

The ‘Espaces Seniors’ located in Brussels and Luxembourg will also remain closed until further notice. We will keep you informed of developments.

Should you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us:

• For any question relating to COVID-19, please call the team in charge of retired members of staff on the special emergency number set up for this purpose: + 32 (0) 2 296 30 00 from Monday to Friday between 9.00 and 12.30 and 14.00 and 16.30.
• For any other question, you can call the team in charge of retired members of staff on +32 (0) 2 295 90 98. You can also send them an email to HR‑BXL‑AIDE-PENSIONNES@ec.europa.eu.

We thank you for your understanding. Please rest assured that we are available and here to provide support should you need it.

Yours faithfully,

Christian ROQUES