RECOGNITION OF PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

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RECOGNITION OF PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

• Brussels, 07.03.2002 COM(2002)119 final 2002/0061
  (COD)
• Proposal for a
• DIRECTIVE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE
  COUNCIL ON THE RECOGNITION OF PROFESSIONAL
  QUALIFICATIONS

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RECOGNITION OF PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

• A clear, secure and quick system for the
  recognition of qualifications in the field of the
  regulated professions is required to ensure free
  movement.

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RECOGNITION OF PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

• For the purposes of this Directive, the following
  terms are defined as follows
• a) regulated profession a professional activity
  or group of professional activities, access to
  which, the practice of which, or one of the modes
  of pursuit is subject, directly or indirectly, to
  legislative, regulatory or administrative
  provisions concerning possession of specific
  professional qualifications.
• b) professional qualifications qualifications
  attested by evidence of formal training, an
  attestation of competence and/or professional
  experience
• c) evidence of formal qualifications diplomas,
  certificates and other evidence
• issued by an authority in a Member State and
  certifying successful completion
• of professional training obtained mainly in the
  Community,

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RECOGNITION OF PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

• A profession practised by the members of an
  association or organisation is treated as a
  regulated profession.
• On each occasion that a Member State grants
  recognition to an association or organisation, it
  shall inform the Commission, which shall issue an
  appropriate notification in the Official Journal
  of the European Communities.

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RECOGNITION OF PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

• The following five levels of professional
  qualification are established
• a) level 1, "attestation of competence"
• b) level 2, "certificate"
• c) level 3, "diploma certifying successful
  completion of a short training course"
• d) level 4, "diploma certifying successful
  completion of an intermediate training course"
• e) level 5, "diploma certifying successful
  completion of a higher training course".

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RECOGNITION OF PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

• Level 1 corresponds to
• a) an attestation of competence issued by a
  competent authority in the home Member State on
  the basis of a very short training course, a
  specific examination without prior training or
  full-time practice of the profession in a Member
  State for three consecutive years or for an
  equivalent duration on a part-time basis during
  the previous 10 years,
• b) general primary or secondary education,
  attesting that the holder has acquired general
  knowledge.

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RECOGNITION OF PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

• Level 2 corresponds to
• training at secondary level, of a professional
  nature or general in character, supplemented by a
  professional course.

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RECOGNITION OF PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

• Level 3 corresponds
• to training at post-secondary level and of a
  duration of at least one year and less than three
  years.

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RECOGNITION OF PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

• The following shall be treated as level-3
  training courses
• a) training courses with a special structure
  which provide a comparable professional standard
  and which prepare the trainee for a comparable
  level of responsibilities and functions.
• b) regulated training which is specifically
  directed to the practice of a particular
  profession and which consists of a course of
  education supplemented, where appropriate, by
  professional training, probationary or
  professional practice.

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RECOGNITION OF PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

• Level 4 corresponds to a course of training at
  higher or university level and of a duration of
  at least three years and less than four years.
• The following shall be treated as level-4
  training
• Regulated training which is directly aimed at the
  practice of a particular profession and which
  consist of a three year programme of
  post-secondary study or a part-time programme of
  post-secondary study of equivalent duration,
  carried out in a university or an institution
  providing an equivalent level of training, and,
  possibly, professional training, probationary or
  professional practice required in addition to the
  programme of post-secondary study.

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RECOGNITION OF PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

• Level 5 corresponds to training at higher
  education level and of a minimum duration of four
  years.
• The following shall be treated as level-5
  training
• regulated training aimed specifically at the
  pursuit of a particular profession and which
  consist of a programme of post-secondary study of
  at least four years duration or a programme of
  part-time post-secondary study of equivalent
  duration, carried out in a university or an
  institution providing an equivalent level of
  training and, possibly, professional training,
  probationary or professional practice required in
  addition to a programme of post-secondary study.

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RECOGNITION OF PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

• Professional associations may notify the
  Commission of common platforms which they
  establish at European level.
• "common platform means a set of criteria of
  professional qualifications which attest to a
  sufficient level of competence for the pursuit of
  a given profession and on the basis of which
  those associations accredit the qualifications
  obtained in the Member States.

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RECOGNITION OF PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

• If access to or pursuit of a regulated profession
  in a host Member State is contingent upon
  possession of specific professional
  qualifications, the competent authority of that
  Member State shall permit access to and pursuit
  of that profession, under the same conditions as
  apply to its nationals, to applicants possessing
  the attestation of competence or evidence of
  formal training required by another Member State
  in order to gain access to and pursue that
  profession on its territory.

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RECOGNITION OF PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

• Attestations of competence or evidence of formal
  training shall satisfy the following conditions
• a) they shall have been obtained in another
  Member State
• b) they shall attest a level of professional
  qualification at least equivalent to the level
  immediately below that which is required in the
  host Member State.

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RECOGNITION OF PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on
the Proposal for a Directive of the
European Parliament and of the Council on the
recognition of professional qualifications (COM(2
002) 119 final 2002/0061 (COD)) (2003/C 61/14)
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RECOGNITION OF PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
WORKING DOCUMENT from Presidency to Working
Party on Establishment and Services
(Diplomas) No. prev. doc. 7864/03 ETS 7 CODEC
368 No. Cion prop. 7239/02 ETS 1 CODEC
350 Subject Proposal for a Directive of the
European Parliament and of the Council on
the recognition of professional qualifications -
Consolidated text
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RECOGNITION OF PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

• In order to promote the free movement of
  professionals, while ensuring an adequate level
  of qualification, various professional
  associations and organisations have established
  common platforms at European level under which
  professionals meeting a number of criteria
  relating to professional qualifications are
  awarded the right to bear the professional title
  awarded by those associations or organisations.
  The Directive should take account, under certain
  conditions and in compliance with Community law,
  and in particular Community law on competition,
  of those initiatives, while promoting, in this
  context, a more automatic character of
  recognition under the general system.

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RECOGNITION OF PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

• Professional associations which establish common
  platforms must be representative at national
  and/or European level. To be considered as
  established at European level, a common platform
  must cover at least two thirds of the Member
  States and in any case all the Member States
  which regulate that profession. A common platform
  facilitates the mutual recognition of
  professional qualifications, in particular where
  the criteria established make it possible to
  compensate for the substantial differences which
  may exist between the training in the various
  Member States.

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RECOGNITION OF PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONSOpinio
n of the Economic and Social Committee on the
Proposal for a Directive of the European
Parliament and of the Council on the recognition
of professional qualifications

• A system for recognition of professional
  qualifications
• must be based on active support and involvement
  from the
• relevant professional associations and the social
  partners. The
• present system guarantees that, to some extent.
  The proposed
• new system does not guarantee that. The EESC
  proposes
• amendments to the draft directive in order to
  safeguard this
• involvement.

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RECOGNITION OF PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONSOpinio
n of the Economic and Social Committee on the
Proposal for a Directive of the European
Parliament and of the Council on the recognition
of professional qualifications

• The new system opens the door for European
  professional
• associations to propose Europe-wide common
  platforms
• for recognition of professional qualifications.
  The EESC
• finds it very positive that this opportunity is
  included in the
• draft directive. However, the EESC is of the
  opinion that
• the criteria for submitting such proposals should
  be better
• elaborated in the directive. The EESC proposes a
  set of such
• criteria.

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RECOGNITION OF PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONSOpinio
n of the Economic and Social Committee on the
Proposal for a Directive of the European
Parliament and of the Council on the recognition
of professional qualifications
The EESC thinks that this form of active
involvement by European professional associations
might be a good way to make professional
recognition simple, more automatic, predictable
and transparent. The method must, however,
provide adequate guarantees as regards the
applicants level of qualification.
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RECOGNITION OF PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONSOpinio
n of the Economic and Social Committee on the
Proposal for a Directive of the European
Parliament and of the Council on the recognition
of professional qualifications

• Therefore the EESC requires clear criteria for
  the European professional associations that may
  apply for common platforms. Such a European
  professional association must
• cover as far as possible all EU countries
• promote and maintain a high standard in the
  professional field concerned by providing for the
  upward convergence of initial training and for
  requirements regarding continuing training
• promote regular external evaluations of the
  standard of its members services in the Member
  States
• award an attest of a certain level of
  professional qualifications where this is not the
  responsibility of the Member State
• ensure that the members of its member
  associations respect the rules of professional
  conduct which it prescribes

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