PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS : MEPS WANT MORE FLEXIBLE AND SECURE TOOLS.

Members of the European Parliament succeeded in delivering a clear picture of their expectations concerning overhaul of Directive 2005/36/EC on the recognition of professional qualifications, a technically complicated and politically sensitive issue. The Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) voted, on 23 January, in favour of upward harmonisation of professional qualifications in the EU. Compared with the proposal presented by the European Commission in December 2011, it tightened up certain provisions and made others more flexible.

"The vote reflects Parliament's will to improve the tools of the 2005 directive and to propose new ones to encourage and protect Europeans' professional mobility. We hope to set up a genuine tool for European citizenship," commented rapporteur Bernadette...