Recognition of Qualifications
If you have questions concerning the recognition of your qualifications, please contact the national information centre in the country concerned. You will find a complete list of national information centres on the ENIC-NARIC website.
The purpose of recognition is to make it possible for learners to use their qualifications from one education system in another education system (or country) without losing the real value of those qualifications.
The main international legal text that aims to further the fair recognition of qualifications is the Council of Europe/UNESCO Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Region (Lisbon Recognition Convention).
Like any legal text, the Convention must be put into practice. The recognition of qualifications falls within the competence of each country. In most cases, this means that higher education institutions are responsible for the recognition of qualifications for the purpose of further study whereas professional bodies or employers are responsible for recognition for the purposes of the labour market.
Tools that facilitate the recognition of qualifications are
the
European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System
(ECTS) and the
Diploma Supplement (DS)
To help develop good practice and a common understanding of
recognition, the
Council of Europe,
UNESCO/CEPES
and the
European Commission coordinate the ENIC and NARIC Networks. The Networks
develop good practice and policy, whereas individual member centres
may provide information on the recognition of qualifications as well as the
qualifications frameworks and education systems of the countries for which they
are responsible. You may find a list of all centres as
well as a description of the Networks and much other useful information on the
ENIC-NARIC
website. This site also contains links to
other resources. You may also access an
information disk on the Bologna Process, which contains
valuable information on recognition, too.
In 2007, all countries of the Bologna Process submitted national action plans to improve the recognition of qualifications. An ENIC/NARIC working party has analysed the national action plans and produced a very detailed report with recommendations for the various actors involved on how to further improve recognition procedures and practice:
Report to the BFUG on the Analysis of the 2007 National Action Plans for
Recognition,
prepared by Andrejs Rauhvargers and Agnese Rusakova