Brussels, 28/02/2001 (Agence Europe) - The Council has adopted a directive simplifying and completing existing legislation on the recognition of diplomas in several health professions and for architects. The text reached during conciliation procedure had been adopted by the EP early January. The Member States must transpose it before 1 January 2002. The directive takes into account the case law of the Court of Justice on the recognition of diplomas and the evolution of professions, it is explained at the Commission. During codecision procedure, the Commission also pledged to develop a "code" regrouping all the texts on this subject, by 2003.
The simplification of the text mainly covers the rate of updating for lists of diplomas and qualifications recognised at European level. Until now, the recognition of a diploma or training had to go through codecision procedure that could take up to two or three years. At present, the Commission will publish at regular intervals, in the Official Journal, the complete recognition lists that have been notified by the Member States and that meet the minimum criteria fixed by the sector-specific directives (duration of training, content, etc.). This procedure, which had already applied to general medical practitioners and architects, is, for example, extended to the nursing professions in general health care, and to dentists, veterinarians, midwives and pharmacists.
In this same movement, an update was made to the existing texts. It mainly covers: 1) the system of recognition of qualifications obtained in a third country. A Member State that refuses to recognise the diplomas of a third country recognised in another Member State should justify its decision; 2) the professional experience gained after obtaining a diploma should be taken into account during the diploma recognition procedure on a case by case basis; 3) the Member States should give their opinion within four months on requests for recognition; 4) a coordination committee will be entrusted with monitoring the interpretation and the uniform application of the legislation; 5) exemptions are granted for certain rights acquired with respect to training, for example, for the training of dentists and pharmacists in Italy.