EU Directive

The European Union (EU) has made provisions for the recognition of professional qualifications (a combination of academic qualifications and professional training and experience) to enable movement of workforce between Member States. The new directive 2005/36/EC, which came into effect on 20 October 2007, applies to all Member State nationals wishing to practice a regulated profession in a Member State other than the one in which they obtained their professional qualifications. The Directive works on the basic principle that an individual fully qualified to practice a regulated profession in one member state should be treated, in principle, as qualified to practice that same profession in another Member State.

In August 2007, Chartered Scientist was accepted for the purposes of the directive as a regulated profession, with the Science Council appointed as the Competent Authority.

What does this mean in practice?

Links:

Europe Open for Professions (http://www.dfes.gov.uk/europeopen/index.shtml)

European Commission guide to Professional Qualifications (http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/qualifications/index_en.htm)

ENIC-NARIC (http://www.enic-naric.net/)