Brussels, 24/01/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 23 January, members of the internal market and consumers committee (IMCO) at the European Parliament approved the report by Bernadette Vergnaud (S&D, France) on the new rules on recognition of professional qualifications. They voted by 33 votes to 4, with 2 abstentions. The new legislative proposals, put forward by the Commission in 2011, aim to increase mobility in Europe. Mobility remains low in Europe despite a legislative arsenal that has been in place since 1970. The proposals aim to eliminate as many administrative obstacles as possible, while complying with security imperatives.
The main innovation of Vergnaud's report adopted on Wednesday lies in the creation of a professional skills card setting out all the holder's experience and qualifications. The procedure is based on the IMI network, an electronic information exchange system between member state administrations. The professional skills card, which would remain voluntary, should save time and ease the recognition process, because professionals could ask their home country to arrange the recognition (thus verifying the person's aptitude to carry out a given profession), rather than having to apply to the host country, as at present.
Alert system. Another innovation is that the new rules create an automatic system of alert, via the IMI, which will point out, within 48 hours, any bans on exercising a profession in a member state. This might apply, for example, to health workers or those with sensitive employment, such as nurses or veterinary surgeons. People who have been convicted of a crime or face disciplinary action would thus be prevented from transferring their practice to another EU member state. In order to protect patient safety, MEPs also hoped that doctors would be under an obligation to update their skills through continuous professional education and training, an EP press release states. Also, MEPs voted to enable EU member states to opt to test their knowledge of the language used where they are applying for employment.
Vergnaud managed to have endorsed the fact that trainee courses in the context of training for a regulated profession, whether those courses are paid or not, should be recognised throughout Europe and framed by a contract. The Commission proposed only recognising paid traineeships.
The rapporteur was pleased with the outcome of the vote. She said (our translation): “With unemployment that today affects one young person out of every five, these new provisions seem fundamental for creating new job opportunities and giving confidence and hope. I trust European governments will follow along these lines”. The IMCO vote paves the way for informal talks with Council, the EP says. (SP/transl.jl)