The recognition of titles is an instrument important to facilitate the free circulation of graduated students and of in Europe. Also in the occasion of Monedero by greater a"in strongly encouraging universities of one more a higher education (May of 2001)," of the ministers and other institutions of one more a higher education to of course take complete advantage from the existing national legislation and directed European tools facilitating academic and professional units of the recognition, degrees and other concessions, so that the citizens can use with effectiveness their qualifications, capacities and abilities through the European area of one more a higher education ".

In the best order to understand the rules of the community in the diploma recognition, a distinction is due first to do between the recognition for the academic intentions (is to say : you wanted that its title was recognized because you wish to continue your studies) and the recognition for the professional intentions (is to say : you wanted that its title was recognized because you wish to work in certain profession).

Academic recognition

In which it concerns the academic recognition of a title or a period from the study to the outside to continue studying in the origin country, each State member is responsible under treaty of Amsterdam of its own educative content and organization. Secondly, there is imposing no mutual recognition of the provisions of the diploma community (with the exception of certain regulated occupations that they talk about down under title of the recognition for the professional intentions). That one is porqué are at the moment no diplomas that are recognized in the European level for the academic intentions.

The universities, that are independent institutions, are entirely responsible for the content of their curricula and to grant to the diplomas and certificates to the students. The diplomas and the certificates are recognized by the authorities of the State referred member.

Nevertheless, the Commission of the European Communities has animated to the mutual recognition (for the academic intentions) between the several educative systems in Europe with the programs such of the community as Erasmus. Although the participation in Erasmus is entirely voluntary, has contributed greatly to an understanding and a recognition of the educative systems that are often very different.

A tangible result of the effort to promote the understanding of the academic recognition of qualifications, under program of Erasmus, is the network of the national information centers for the recognition of diplomas (NOSE). These centers can provide with you the information in national academic procedures of the recognition.

Professional recognition

In which it concerns the recognition for the professional intentions, it is important to distinguish between the professions that are regulated of the point of view of qualifications and not-regulated professions.

A profession says to be regulated when it is a statutory requirement to carry out the diploma or the other occupational qualification to persecute the profession in the question. In that case, the deficiency of necessary the national diploma constitutes a legal obstacle to have access to the profession.

If you are trying the recognition of your order of diplomai n to persecute a regulated profession (if she is used or independent) in a State member with exception of in which you obtained your qualifications, the communitarian right covers to him that you can invoke and to which the national authorities must be satisfied. The right of the establishment, the freedom to provide services and the free circulation of workers are fundamental principles of the treaty of the EC. In order to allow these freedoms to be exercised, several referring legal instruments to the diploma recognition, applicable only to the regulated professions, were adopted in the European level.

Regulated professions : the general system

One of two directories will be applicable, depending on the level of the studies recognized by the diploma: Directive 89/48/EEC in a general system for the recognition of granted diplomas of the high-education in the completion of the professional education and the training at least of the duration of three years (One-levels or equivalent + three years), or directive 92/51/EEC in a second general system that covers diplomas, the certificates and other titles of the professional formation in an inferior level that those covered by Directive 89/48/EEC.

It is important to observe that the aforesaid directories did not install a system of automatic equivalence between diplomas. There is no thing as a list of the diplomas that are recognized automatically in the European level, since a diploma is not recognized for its intrinsic value but according to the profession to which it gives the access in the country that granted it. It is for the referred person to put under an individual use that it specifies clearly what occupation wishes to persecute.

Under directories, it equals if you do not maintain the appropriate national diploma, the authorities of the State member host must authorize to him to persecute a profession in his territory, if you make the diploma require in your country of origin to persecute that profession. The recognition granted thus therefore constitutes the right to persecute a profession regulated specific under same conditions that the sostenedores of national diplomas, but do not mean that its diploma is cautious as equivalent to a national diploma for other intentions.

The competent authority to take care of the uses for the academic recognition, put under in agreement with the aforesaid directories, varies from a profession to another one.

In order to know if the profession that the interests regulate to him and then to discover that the department occupies of the uses for the recognition for the profession in the question, you must be applied to the "national meeting point" for the professional recognition.

The directors of the Community indicate that a competent authority is four days old to make a decision. If its use is rejected, you can have resource to the legal remedies available in the host country (89/48/EEC article 8 of and directive article 12 of 92/51/EEC see directive).

Regulated professions : " automatic recognition "

There is also a second group of referring directories supposed of the "automatic recognition" to the following professions: doctor, dentist, nurse, veterinarian, phamacist, midwife and architect. These directories anticipate the automatic recognition of diplomas, certificates and other qualifications related to the professions already mentioned, given by the States members inside as soon as they satisfy the minimum conditions of the training placed by the communitarian legislation.

In years 60, a sectorial and vertical approach was followed for the recognition of vocacionales qualifications. Several directories based on articles 49 and 57 of the treaty of the EC have been adopted with respect the profession and to referring sectors commerce, industry and to art. These supposed directories of the "liberalization" who included "transitory measures" have been established to facilitate the access to a specific profession guaranteeing, under certain conditions, the recognition in the country of host of the experience acquired in the origin country. A director project is at the moment under discussion to integrate these directories in the provisions of the "general system" of directories.

Professions nonregulated

If the profession that you wish to persecute not regulates, you are according to the rules of the market of work and to the behavior of that market and not to any legal pressure with respect to your diploma. In that case, the system of the previous recognition by the referred directories above is not applicable.

Nevertheless, it equals if the directories this are not applicable, you still have certain right in which she concerns the recognition of his diploma. The authorities of the country of host in any event are commited, under articles on the freedom movement of the treaty of the EC, to take account from their diplomas and professional qualifications acquired in another State member.

Also see :

- academic and professional procedures of the recognition in the countries of the EU and EEA

- the other information on professional qualifications (of the inner market of the DG of the Commission of the European Communities)