Brussels, 17/12/2009 (Agence Europe) - Putting questions to the European Commission, on Thursday 17 December, regarding the implementation of directive 2005/36/EC on the recognition of qualifications for more than 800 professions, the MEPs of the committee on the internal market criticised the delays noted in the transposition of the legislation. Other MEPs, mainly from Central and Eastern Europe, stressed the particular importance of the correct functioning of the European framework of national qualifications just as the "services" directive comes into force at the end of 2009. The EP may draft an own-initiative report ahead of the revision of the directive in 2011.
What is the link between the two directives, the one on the recognition of professional qualifications and the other on services in the internal market, Adam Bielan (ECR, Poland) asked the Commission. He referred to the example of a nurse who needs his or her qualifications to be recognized in order to provide services on a cross-border basis. His compatriot from the EPP group, Ma³gorzata Handzlik, stressed the "challenge" of developing within the "maze" of regulatory texts. The "services" and "professional qualifications" directives, which "complement each other", must be transposed throughout the EU order for an effective single market to be put in place.
A number of MEPs criticised the delay in the transposition of the directive and spoke out against the problems faced by citizens wishing to assert their rights. "The transposition of this instrument (...) has taken longer than anticipated", said Malcolm Harbour (EPP, UK). The Commission stated that as of last week, five Member States (Austria, Belgium, France, Greece and Luxembourg) had not fully transposed directive 2005/36/EC, more than two years after the deadline set for this (EUROPE 10037). Kurt Lechner (EPP, Germany) noted that "20% of complaints" registered in the SOLVIT network for the resolution of conflicts related to legislation on the single market concerned professional qualifications. Describing the level of complaints as a "warning signal", Heide Rühle (Greens/EFA, Germany) also explained the delays and functioning problems by differences in culture and in the national legal systems. Referring to the "heterogeneity of initial training", Philippe Juvin (EPP, France) proposed that the Member States appoint a competent authority tasked with ongoing training, which would meet its counterparts at European level to define "common European certification".
Speaking of behalf of the Commission, Pawe³ Samecki stressed the European institution's concern regarding Greece, which has submitted no information on its transposition work regarding directive 2005/36/EC. In answer to those spoke out against the Commission's apparent opposition to change, he reiterated that this institution had already brought six Member States before the Court for failing in their transposition obligations and that it had published a manual in 2007 explaining the implementation of European rules. At this stage, however, the Commission is not in a position to assess the requirement to revise the directive. (M.B./trans.fl)