EC: Modernising the Professional Qualifications Directive will make it easier for professionals to find skilled jobs across Europe

19 December 2011

The Commission has today adopted a proposal for modernising the Professional Qualifications Directive (Directive 2005/36/EC), aimed at simplifying rules for the mobility of professionals within the EU by offering a European Professional Card to all interested professions.

This would allow easier and faster recognition of qualifications. The proposal also clarifies the framework for consumers, by inviting Member States to review the scope of their regulated professions and by addressing public concerns about language skills and the lack of effective alerts about professional malpractice, notably in the health sector.

Internal Market and Services Commissioner, Michel Barnier, said: "Europe is facing many challenges today. One of them will be the increase in demand for highly skilled jobs across the EU. Today's proposal on professional qualifications responds to the need to have a smooth system of recognition of qualifications in order to support the mobility of professionals across Europe. It will make it easier for well-qualified professionals to go where job vacancies exist. And this will certainly prove beneficial for the growth of the European economy. I am convinced that the idea of a European professional card – an electronic certificate – is the right way forward, as it will simplify and speed up the recognition procedures for mobile professionals."

Key elements of the proposal:

  1. The introduction of a European professional card will offer to interested professionals the possibility to benefit from easier and quicker recognition of their qualifications.
  2. Better access to information on the recognition of professional qualifications.
  3. Updating minimum training requirements for doctors, dentists, pharmacists, nurses, midwives, veterinary surgeons and architects.
  4. The introduction of an alert mechanism for health professionals benefiting from automatic recognition.
  5. The introduction of common training frameworks and common training tests, replacing common platforms, should offer the possibility to extend the mechanism of automatic recognition to new professions.
  6. Mutual evaluation exercise on regulated professions.

Background:

The Professional Qualifications Directive is essential to enabling professionals to start a new business or to find a job in another Member State requiring a specific qualification for a specific professional activity. The modernisation is one of the 12 levers for growth set out in the Single Market Act (IP/11/469). The proposal builds on a Green Paper the Commission issued in June (IP/11/767). A summary of the responses to the Green Paper has been published today as well (see FAQs below).


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