Specialist Press Release (EP/SP04/2005) - May 13th, 2005

SUMMARY

An EU-wide system for the mutual recognition of professional qualifications moved a step closer this week with the European Parliament's 2nd reading vote on a new directive covering the liberal and regulated professions, such as engineers, architects, accountants and doctors.

By comparison with the European Commission's original proposal, which favoured easier movement between countries and supervision in the hands of the country of origin, the European Parliament's text recommends mutual recognition and the principle of control by the host country.

The 33 amendments adopted this week include :

• Five levels of recognised education and training (as opposed to the four proposed by the Council of Ministers);
  
• Automatic recognition of medical and dental specialities common to at least two EU member states;
  
• A single EU committee for the recognition of professional qualifications, with the involvement of experts from the different professional categories;
  
• The introduction of an individual professional card with information on the worker's career (training, experience and any penalties imposed relating to the profession);
  
• A tightening of the wording on the need for language skills in the host country.

(The amendments adopted this week result from informal negotiations with the Council of Ministers. It is for the Council now to approve the text adopted this week. If it rejects any one of the Parliament's amendments, discussions would have to proceed to conciliation between the European Parliament and Council of Ministers).

CONTACT:

Simon Duffin, Press Officer, European Parliament UK Office, tel 020 7227 4300, simon.duffin@europarl.europa.eu

DEBATE

Commissioner McCreevy: this directive is an important practical contribution to skills mobility. It covers a large variety of issues of great interest to the professions and also to their clients. A reasonable compromise on the text provides us with a major success story in the field of the internal market. The final result strikes a balance between the right to free movement of fully qualified professionals and the need to protect consumers. In particular, I welcome the maintenance of the five levels of qualification, which have played a central role in the operation of professional recognition at EU level over the last 15 years.

The new regime for the automatic recognition of medical specialities reconciles the need for simplification with the legitimate demands of the profession. For its part, the consultation of professional associations will provide the Commission with the technical advice necessary for the proper running of the system.

Last, but not least, I appreciate the additions to the common position suggested by Parliament, such as those regarding: firstly, the possibility for professional associations to create professional cards; secondly, the possibility of further harmonisation for additional professions in the future; and, thirdly, the anti-abuse clause which will preclude so-called 'qualifications shopping'.

Malcolm Harbour (Conservative, West Midlands): It is sometimes easy to forget that mutual recognition of professional qualifications within the European single market has been one of the foundation stones of the whole of the internal market project. This is a much-needed reform of the whole package. It has been necessary to deal with the frustrations that have been felt by many professionals about some of the difficulties in accessing their rights under internal market legislation. It is important we deal with those issues now, as part of our overall strategy to open up the internal market for services.

I am sure that by the end of this year, or early next year, we will also have agreed a substantive proposal to open up the market for services. This will allow qualified professionals to take advantage of the single market and use their skills to drive home the advantages for growth and jobs that an internal market for services must deliver.

Phillip Whitehead (Labour, East Midlands): The free movement of professionals is an important step in achieving the Lisbon Agenda. It opens up opportunities in other Member States for dentists, doctors, construction workers and gas engineers that were often closed as a result of an effective 'closed shop' among the professions. I am very grateful that our three German colleagues directly address the reservations in their own Member State on this issue.

This is an advance to balance free movement and competition, and ensure health and safety and consumer protection at one and the same time. I commend it, and I hope the Commissioner will give it speedy effect.

LINKS

This page is part of a frameset - click here to reload the index page of the frameset or here for the homepage of the website.