Professional qualifications, recognition: doctor, dentist, architect...(amend. direct. 89/48/EEC, 92/51/EEC)

PURPOSE : to simplify and clarify the directives relating to the general system for the recognition of professional qualifications and other sectoral directives, particularly with regard to eligibility for automatic recognition. COMMUNITY MEASURE : Directive 2001/19/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Directives 89/48/EEC and 92/51/EEC on the general system for the recognition of professional qualifications and Council Directives 77/452/EEC, 77/453/EEC, 78/686/EEC, 78/687/EEC, 78/1023/EEC, 78/1027/EEC, 80/154/EEC, 80/155/EEC, 85/384/EEC, 85/432/EEC, 85/433/EEC and 93/16/EEC concerning the professions of nurse responsible for general care, dental practitioner, veterinary surgeon, midwife, architect, pharmacist and doctor. CONTENT: The effect of this directive is to oblige Member States to take rapid decisions on requests for recognition of qualifications and to take account of professional experience gained in other Member States. It also facilitates and speeds up the updating of lists of diplomas, certificates and titles eligible for automatic recognition within professions covered by the Directives. Under this directive, Member States will notify the Commission directly of any changes, introduced under national law, to the official title of a qualification or profession acquired following a certain training programme. The Commission will update and publish the corresponding lists of diplomas, certificates and titles in the Official Journal. The existing sectoral directives are simplified by gathering together in the annex es various provisions which have previously been scattered throughout the text. These directives now include lists, presented in the form of tables and separated according to Member State, of the title of the diploma, the organisation which issues the diploma, and the certificate which accompanies it. This directive also fills a gap as regards recognition of training obtained by Community nationals outside the European Union. For the professions covered by the sectoral directives, this new directive imposes on Member States the obligation, when considering an application for recognition, to take into consideration by any other Member state of a qualification acquired outside the Union ("Community elements") In the event of a rejection of a request, the Member State must justify its decision. In addition, Member States are obliged to recognise professional experience obtained in another Member State. The new directive requires decisions on applications for professional recognition to be taken within four months and that such decisions must be open to review under national law.�