Towards the Preparatory Action

As from Spring 2017, the campaign partners have worked closely with MEP Victor Negrescu to draft the proposal for a Preparatory Action, which was then submitted to vote but then not included in the EU Budget by the European Parliament. In 2018, with MEP Emilian Pavel and the support of the CULT Committee the Preparatory Action proposal was updated and submitted again, and the included in the 2019 budget of the EU, approved by the European Parliament. The European Commission in May 2019 has then issued the Tender for the Preparatory Actions’ implementation, which has been awarded to the EFIL–EIESP–CESIE consortium. The project includes:

  • setting up of a Expert Network on Recognition of outcomes of learning periods abroad in general secondary education
  • carrying an EU27 Member State analysis on the recognition practices
  • developing guidelines and specific recommendations for the relevant stakeholders
  • developing the content to feed an online information site
  • producing a model training programme for competence-based assessment of mobile pupils

Check here to see the results of the Preparatory action, published in February 2023.

Towards a Council Recommendation on recognition

Following the launch of the European Education Area by 2025, the European Commission started working on the Council recommendation on recognition and launched a public consultation on recognition of qualifications and study periods abroad. in February 2018. Here you can read the policy paper that EFIL and EEE-YFU prepared for the consultation.

On 22nd May 2018, the European Commission released the “Proposal for a Council Recommendation on the Automatic Mutual Recognition of Diplomas and learning periods abroad”. Here you can read our Reaction to the Proposal for a Council Recommendation

On 26 November 2018 the EU Council adopted the Recommendation on promoting automatic mutual recognition of higher education and upper secondary education and training qualifications and the outcomes of learning periods abroad.

Here you can read our reaction to the Council recommendation.

Towards a debate on #RecogniseStudyAbroad at the European Parliament

Between March and June 2017, the campaign partners with the support of MEP Victor Negrescu collected 40 signatures to submit the Written Question for Oral debate. Unfortunately the question was not included for debate in the Plenary session, however this action was key in raising awareness about the issue of recognition of school study periods abroad in the European Parliament. Thanks to the support of MEP Emilian Pavel, a second Written Question for Oral debate   was submitted, with 51 signatories. In the meantime the European Education Area was taking shape and the topic of recognition caught more attention in the European Parliament and the CULT Committee on 24 October 2018 debated on ‘Promoting automatic recognition of diplomas’ in Plenary in Strasbourg, and the following day the European Parliament adopted the Resolution on promoting mutual recognition of diplomas.

In the period 2016-2018, the campaign partners together with the Youth Intergroup organised the following events:

Some of the campaign supporters in the EP mandate 2014-2019, from left to right: MEP Victor Negrescu (BUDG), MEP Emilian Pavel (EMPL), MEP Julie Ward (CULT), MEP Eva Maydell (IMCO), MEP Momchil Nekov (CULT)