The European Commission announced on Wednesday 6 April that it is taking Portugal to the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) for violating EU rules on the free movement of workers, freedom of establishment and freedom to provide services, and for failing to comply with the provisions of the directive (2005/36/EC) on the recognition of professional qualifications.
Portugal has indeed modified the rules applicable to holders of Portuguese diplomas for civil engineers and has introduced new restrictive conditions which are not included in Annex VI of Directive 2005/36/EC. The Portuguese legislative framework therefore undermines freedom of movement, which the aforementioned graduates have enjoyed since the 1990s, the EU institution explains. However, despite repeated requests for compliance, the European Commission considers that Portugal has failed to remedy the violations of EU rules and has decided to refer Portugal to the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Directive 2005/36/EC (see EUROPE 8962/16) provides for the automatic recognition of professional qualifications in a number of regulated professions, including engineers, accountants, nurses, doctors, pharmacists and architects. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)