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The Minister for Education and Skills Richard Bruton T.D., has signed the Regulations transposing the amending Directive 2013/55/EU on the recognition of professional qualifications into Irish law.

This directive aims to make it easier for professionals to work across the EU, a key driver of economic growth across the Single Market.

Minister Bruton welcomed the transposition of this amending Directive, the technical details of which had been agreed under the Irish Presidency of the EU in 2013.

These Regulations provide for the refinement, enhancement and expansion of the existing systems of recognition while introducing new and innovative means of strengthening patient safety and consumer protection.

The key innovations in the amending Directive include:

The introduction of the European Professional Card (EPC), for an initial five professions, as the first EU-wide fully online procedure for the recognition of qualifications.
Improvements to the ‘automatic recognition’ system by which seven professions (architects; doctors; nurses; midwives; dentists; pharmacists and veterinarians) have their qualifications recognised in other member states.
Providing for the extension of ‘automatic recognition’ to new professions
Providing a legal framework for professionals to exercise their profession in other member states on a temporary or occasional basis.
The introduction of an ‘alert mechanism’ as an additional patient and consumer protection measure.
The adoption of the online Internal Market Information System (IMI) to assist communication and information sharing between Competent Authorities across Member States.
The designation of the Department of Education and Skills as the national ‘Assistance Centre’ and national point of contact for EU/EEA citizens under the Directive.

The Minister said:

“These new rules represent real and tangible benefits for the people of Ireland and the EU. They will allow Irish professionals to seek out the opportunities across the European Union, while also ensuring that Ireland can avail of the European labour market to address potential skills shortages and drive economic growth”.

“The introduction of the European Professional Card and the new alert mechanism are two key elements being introduced. These illustrate the potential of the new regulations to simultaneously reduce the administrative burden on professionals while promoting patient safety and consumer protection”.

Notes for editors

Directive
Directive 2013/55/EU amends and modernises Directive 2005/36/EU with the primary goal of aiding the cross border mobility of professionals, which has been identified as a key driver of economic growth across the Single Market.

Automatic Recognition System
In the cases of seven sectoral professions - Architects; Doctors; Nurses; Midwifes; Dentists; Pharmacists and Veterinarians, common training platforms (CTPs) have been established at a European level which allow for an accelerated recognition process. While currently established for these seven professions, the modernised Directive allows for the expansion of this system over time to include other professions. Presently, the profession of Engineering is being reviewed.

General Recognition System
In cases where a professional qualification does not benefit from Automatic Recognition, it is assessed under the general system of recognition. The provisions of this system set out the conditions by which the Competent Authorities of each Member State can assess the content of a professional’s qualification and compare it against national standards. Under this system, a Competent Authority may accept a qualification, reject it or apply a Compensation Measure to address identified shortfalls in training.

Temporary Provision of Services
Where a professional is legally established in their home Member State, the Directive sets out the conditions whereby these professionals may provide services in other Member States on a temporary or occasional basis.

European Professional Card (EPC)
The Directive sees the introduction of the EPC for an initial five professions – Nurses; Pharmacists; Physiotherapists; Real Estate Agents and Mountain Guides. As opposed to a physical card, the EPC is an electronic certificate issued via the first EU-wide fully online procedure for the recognition of qualifications. The platform enables a professional to apply through a fully online process for the first time.

Alert Mechanism
The Alert Mechanism requires Competent Authorities across Europe to warn each other through the IMI system about professionals working in the fields of health or education of minors who have been prohibited or restricted from practice in one EU country, or who have used falsified diplomas in support of their application for the recognition of their qualification.