Abstract
After having situated Liechtenstein, the legal framework of the right to social security is examined. The relevant constitutional provisions are mentioned, after which an overview of the social security legislation and structure is provided. Attention is also paid to the enforcement of constitutional and statutory rights. In a next part of the chapter, general data on the population and its composition are followed by a description of the personal scope of the social insurance and social assistance schemes. The administration of social security is dealt with as well as the topic of the coordination of the national social security schemes with foreign social security provisions.
With special thanks to Prof. Dr. iur. Patricia Schiess, Head of Research Law, Liechtenstein Institute in Bendern, Principality of Liechtenstein, for her critical reading and additional comments. Thanks also to Mag. Patricia Hornich, LL.M., Research Associate, Liechtenstein Institute in Bendern, Principality of Liechtenstein.
Apart from the general comparative sources, Country Profiles (2020) and World Factbook (2020), we also consulted:
– Office of Statistics of the Principality of Liechtenstein, Liechtenstein in Figures 2020, Vaduz 2020. Accessed on: https://www.llv.li/files/as/liechtenstein_in_figures_2020.pdf;
– Liechtensteinische AHV-IV-FAK-Anstalten, Geschäftsbericht 2019, Vaduz 2020. Accessed on https://www.ahv.li/fileadmin/user_upload/Dokumente/Ueber/Jahresberichte/AHV-IV-FAK-Jahresbericht%2D%2D2019.pdf; and
– AXA Winterthur, All you need to know about social security. Pension system in the Principality of Liechtenstein, 2013. Accessed on: https://www.igpinfo.com/igpinfo/public_documents/ss_summaries/Liechtenstein.pdf.
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Notes
- 1.
- 2.
Liechtensteinische Industrie- und Handelskammer: https://www.lihk.li/en/ and Wirtschaftskammer für Gewerbe, Handel und Dienstleistung: https://wirtschaftskammer.li/.
- 3.
Liechtensteinische Ärztekammer: https://www.aerztekammer.li.
- 4.
See: https://socialprotection-humanrights.org/instru/social-security-provisions-in-the-constitution-of-liechtenstein/; For an extensive commentary article by article, see: Liechtenstein-Institut (ed.), Kommentar zur liechtensteinischen Verfassung. Online-Kommentar, Bendern 2016. Accessed on: https://verfassung.li/.
- 5.
Schiess Rütimann (2016a). Accessed on: https://verfassung.li/Einführende_Bemerkungen_zum_III._Hauptstück.
- 6.
S. Wolf et al. (2018), p. 186. Accessed on: https://www.um.edu.mt/sst/sst12nov2018.
- 7.
We use the notion social insurance in its internationally accepted meaning; in Liechtenstein it may be that the notion is reserved for these arrangements which are contribution based, excluding thus schemes wholly financed by the state. See in this respect: Schiess Rütimann (2016c), nrs. 40–42. Accessed on https://verfassung.li/Art._26.
- 8.
All laws of Liechtenstein are officially coordinated and can be found on https://www.gesetze.li/konso/suche under the appropriate reference number. The statutes themselves are usually indicated by the abbreviation of the subject, see hereafter e.g. AHV, followed by a G for Gesetz or statute.
- 9.
Coordinated laws of Liechtenstein, LR 831.10.
- 10.
Coordinated laws of Liechtenstein, LR 831.20.
- 11.
Coordinated laws of Liechtenstein, LR 831.30.
- 12.
Coordinated laws of Liechtenstein, LR 836.0.
- 13.
Coordinated laws of Liechtenstein, LR 837.0.
- 14.
Coordinated laws of Liechtenstein, LR 832.20.
- 15.
Coordinated laws of Liechtenstein, LR 831.40.
- 16.
Coordinated laws of Liechtenstein, LR 832.10.
- 17.
Coordinated laws of Liechtenstein, LR 854.0.
- 18.
Coordinated laws of Liechtenstein, LR 851.0.
- 19.
See: https://www.li-makler.li/downloads/files/Uebersicht%20Sozialver.%202020.pdf.
The third pillar stands for the individual private arrangements. On the three pillar concept, followed, but not legally enshrined, in Liechtenstein, see: Schiess Rütimann (2016c), nrs. 28–32. Accessed on: https://verfassung.li/Art._26.
- 20.
When Liechtenstein copies foreign norms, they are copied literally so that the Liechtenstein administration and courts can copy the foreign jurisprudence too.
- 21.
P.M. Schiess Rütimann, Kommentar zur liechtensteinischen Verfassung. Online Kommentar, Bendern 2016, Art. 26, nrs. 13–14 and 17–21. Accessed on: https://verfassung.li/Art._26; Weiss (2019), pp. 66–68.
- 22.
For this chapter see: Weiss (2019), pp. 58–68, and Weiss, Nachtrag (2019), p. 102.
- 23.
Weiss (2019), p. 65.
- 24.
Art. 23b BPVG.
- 25.
P.M. Schiess Rütimann, in: Liechtestein-Institut (ed.), Kommentar zur liechtensteinischen Verfassung. Online-Kommentar, Bendern 2016, Article 25 nr. 80 and Art. 26, nrs. 49-53. Accessed on: https://verfassung.li/Art._25 and https://verfassung.li/Art._26.
- 26.
See EFTA Court Case E-13/15 Abuelo Insua Juan Bautista v Liechtensteinische Invalidenversicherung concerning the Coordination of social security systems: https://eftacourt.int/cases/e-13-15/.
For a survey of sentences concerning social security from about 2008 util 2014 see: Augustin (2015), pp. 1–12.
- 27.
See also, Brunhart (2019).
- 28.
The statistical data were provided by P. Schiess of the Liechtenstein Institute and are based on:
-
for persons working in Liechtenstein: https://www.llv.li/files/as/ibeschaeftigung_ve_2019.pdf;
-
for AHV, IV and FAK: Liechtensteinische AHV-IV-FAK-Anstalten, Geschäftsbericht 2019, Vaduz 2020: https://www.ahv.li/fileadmin/user_upload/Dokumente/Ueber/Jahresberichte/AHV-IV-FAK-Jahresbericht%2D%2D2019.pdf;
-
for BPV: FNA, Betriebliche Personalvorsorge in Liechtenstein, Vaduz 2020: https://www.fma-li.li/de/fma/publikationen/betriebliche-personalvorsorge-in-liechtenstein.html;
-
for ALV: Amt für Statistik, Arbeitslosenstatistik 2019, Vaduz 2020: https://www.llv.li/files/as/arbeitslosenstatistik-2019.pdf;
-
for KVG: Amt für Statistik, Krankenkassenstatistik 2018, Vaduz 2019: https://www.llv.li/files/as/ikk_2018.pdf;
-
for UVers: Amt für Statistik, Unfallversicherungsstatistik 2018, Vaduz 2019: https://www.llv.li/files/as/iunfallversicherungs_2018.pdf;
-
for Social assistance: Amt für Soziale Dienste, Jahresbericht 2019, Schaan 2020: https://www.llv.li/files/asd/asd-jahresbericht-2019.pdf.
-
- 29.
Art. 34-35 AHVG.
- 30.
Art. 26 IVG.
- 31.
This is the national law; on the basis of bilateral and multilateral coordination rules, this condition is however waived in most cases.
- 32.
- 33.
Art. 1 ELG; Art. 3 Blindenbeihilfe Gesetz.
- 34.
Art. 3bis and Art. 3octies ELG.
- 35.
Art. 8 and 14 ALVG.
- 36.
Art. 1, 2 and 4 UVersG.
- 37.
Art. 2, 4c and 5 BPVG.
- 38.
In reality this reciprocity condition would not be checked.
- 39.
Art. 3 Sozialhilfegesetz.
- 40.
See: http://www.ahv.li.
- 41.
Art. 57-62 UVersG.
- 42.
See: Gesetz vom 6. September 2013 über die betriebliche Personalvorsorge des Staates (SBPVG), LR 174.40.
- 43.
Art.13-15 BPVG.
- 44.
Art. 22 e, 22 f and 23 BPVG.
- 45.
Art. 1b-4a KVG; see also Schiess Rütimann (2016c), nr. 37 and 44. Accessed on https://verfassung.li/Art._26.
- 46.
Art. 19 ff SHG; see also Schiess Rütimann (2016b), nrs. 23–24. Accessed on https://verfassung.li/Art._25.
- 47.
J.Seeliger, AHV-IV-FAK-Beiträge (Skriptum), 2020, p. 7. Accessed on: https://www.ahv.li/fileadmin/user_upload/Dokumente/Online-Schalter/Beitrags-Skriptum/Beitragsskriptum-2020.pdf.
- 48.
These agreements can be found in the Coordinated Laws of Liechtenstein under the numbers: LR 0.831.109.101 and LR 0.837.910.11 for Switzerland; LR 0.831.109.102 for Austria, LR 0.831.109.103 for Germany; and LR 0.831.109.104 for Italy.
- 49.
Coordinated laws of Liechtenstein, LR 0.831.109.101.21.
- 50.
J. Seeliger, AHV-IV-FAK-Beiträge (Skriptum), 2020, p. 5. Accessed on: https://www.ahv.li/fileadmin/user_upload/Dokumente/Online-Schalter/Beitrags-Skriptum/Beitragsskriptum-2020.pdf.
- 51.
Coordinated laws of Liechtenstein, LR 0.831.109.114.1.
- 52.
This is not a treaty, but an agreement based on an exchange of letters between ambassadors, Coordinated laws of Liechtenstein, LR 0.831.109.131.1.
- 53.
Vereinbarung vom 19. Dezember 2006, Coordinated Laws of Liechtenstein, LR 0.831.409.101.1.
- 54.
Vereinbarung vom 28. September 1977, Coordinated laws of Liechtenstein, LR 0.813.410.11.
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Pieters, D. (2021). Liechtenstein. In: Social Security Law in Small Jurisdictions. The World of Small States, vol 8. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-78247-4_14
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