Professional qualifications

Directive 2005/36/EC on Recognition of Professional Qualification

The Directive 2005/36/EC on Recognition of Professional Qualification is an instrument that aims to make the internal market more flexible by encouraging and facilitating the provision of services and the mutual recognition of professional qualifications.
This directive sets up two systems of recognition, the automatic one and the general one: while the first one is valid for professions named in Chapter III, the second one should be applied to all the other professions not listed in the directive (ICM case).

The automatic system of recognition is based on the coordination of minimum training conditions: in the Annex V of the directive are listed the formal qualifications conforming to the directive issued by Member States. These qualifications enable holders to practice their profession in any Member State, without any further validation.

The general system of recognition refers to those professions not covered by Chapter III of the directive and, even if it’s based on the principle of mutual recognition, without prejudice to the application, compensatory measures could be required to the applicant if there are substantial differences between the training acquired by the person concerned and the training required in the host Member State.

The full Implementation of the recognition of professional qualification should strengthen the right to mobility of workers within the EU and their freedom of establishment in the member States without further restrictions.

On 17.03.2010 Commission met the representatives of EU professional organizations in order to discuss the methodology for the evaluation of the directive 2005/36/EC. EU professional organizations identified 6 possible priorities: Educational Reforms, Professional Cards, Common Platforms, Temporary Mobility, Labour Markets, and Migration on a permanent basis detailed in an EC Summary document.

ESICM President Rui Moreno and President Elect Andrew Rhodes had a meeting with Mr Tiedje (DG MARKT) in July 2010. ESICM will be added to partners in the process.

The European Board of Intensive Care Medicine was invited to the second meeting with Professional Organizations with regards the evaluation of the professional qualifications directive at the European Commission on 29 October 2010. The Board was represented at this meeting by Professor Rui Moreno (chair of the Board) and Dr Andrew Rhodes (Hon. secretary). The MJC was represented by Hugo van Aken, Gerhard Sybrecht and Marco Ranieri.

The background document for the meeting can be downloaded from here.

The presentation from the meeting can be downloaded from here.

The draft summary of the meeting can be downloaded from here.

The European Commission have put out a press release with regards the update of Directive 2005/36 on Professional Qualifications. It can be seen here.

The European Commmission have also released a statement decribing the experience some doctors have had with utilizing the Directive to aid mobility between countures. The doctors summary report can be downloaded from here.

Update 15 March 2010

The EBICM in combination with the MJC and the ESICM submitted their response to the consultation document with regards Dirctive 2005/36.

Update 25 March 2010

The UEMS submitted their response to the consultation document with regards Dirctive 2005/36.

Update 18 July 2011

The Green Paper aims to gather stakeholders’ views on the modernisation of the Professional Qualifications Directive (Directive 2005/36/EC).
This Directive, adopted in 2005, sets the rules for mutual recognition of professional qualifications between Member States.

The primary aim of this is to facilitate mobility of EU citizens for professional purposes. The Green Paper follows a report of how the Directive works in practice and a first technical-level public consultation launched in January 2011. A final evaluation report, as well as a summary of the responses to the first consultation, will be published by the end of the summer 2011.

The Green Paper outlines possible ways forward that build on past achievements while developing new approaches to enhance mobility:

• the introduction of a professional card
• the potential of new common platforms to facilitate the mobility of professionals where there is no automatic recognition
• the minimum training requirements of certain professions (e.g. some health professions) could be reformed

Next steps

Stakeholders are invited to respond to the consultation by 20 September 2011.
The Commission will subsequently organise a high level conference on 7 November 2011.
A legislative proposal is foreseen for December 2011.

For further information:
http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/qualifications/index_en.htm