On 18 March, Directorate General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SME of the European Commission hosted a conference on The European Professional Card as a part of this year’s Single Market Forum.
The European Professional Card (EPC) is an electronic certificate issued via the first EU-wide fully online procedure for the recognition of qualifications. This digital procedure is based on the Internal Market Information System (IMI) and allows professionals to communicate with the relevant authorities inside a secure network. The IMI also provides for an official, multilingual communication channel between the regulating authorities for professionals in EU countries to facilitate their cooperation and enhance mutual trust.
The European professional card is available from 18 January 2016 for five professions (general care nurses, physiotherapists, pharmacists, real estate agents and mountain guides). It might be extended to other professions in the future.
The EPC does not replace the traditional recognition procedures under the Professional Qualifications Directive, but it does offer an advantageous option for professionals who wish to work either temporarily or permanently in another EU country.
The Commission is organising a Facebook Chat on 18 April (from 11am to 1pm) on the topic of the recognition of professional qualifications in the EU. Your questions are welcome at: https://www.facebook.com/YourEuropePortal. Our legal experts from the Your Europe Advice will be online to answer them.