More than 185,000 people had their professional qualifications recognised in another EU country between 2020 and 2024 under EU rules designed to make it easier to work across borders.
Around 140,000 of those recognised professionals were employed in sectors described as essential, including healthcare and education, the European Commission said in a new report on Friday.
The assessment looked at how the EU’s Professional Qualifications Directive — a law first adopted in 2005 — is being implemented across member states.
The Directive provides a legal framework for recognising qualifications across different sectors and skill levels, helping people take up regulated professions in another EU country.
The report found the system “works well overall” but said recognition procedures can still be complex and slow, citing lengthy processes, uneven use of digital systems and extensive documentation requirements.
It also said there was scope to expand “automatic recognition” — where qualifications are accepted without a case-by-case assessment — to professions not currently covered.
Digital tools and the next phase
Digitalisation could reduce paperwork and administrative burden for applicants and national authorities, and make the recognition process more efficient, the Commission said.
The Commission also pointed to the need for member states to maintain mutual trust in each other’s standards, supported by tools including the Internal Market Information System (IMI) and an EU-wide alert mechanism.
Findings from the report will feed into future work on a planned Skills Portability Initiative, which has been included in the Commission’s 2026 work programme.
A public consultation on that initiative is open for comments until 27 February 2026.
