Following on the trialogue agreement, on 12 June, on the revised Directive on Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications (Directive 2005/36/EC), and on COREPER formal approval of the text, on 27 June, today’s vote of the European Parliament Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee, with an overwhelming majority – 37 votes in favour and 2 abstentions, confirms the positive outcome of the European Commission, European Parliament, and Council of the European Union discussions.
One of the successful outcomes for nurses from this challenging process is the inclusion of 8 key descriptors or learning outcomes in Article 31 focussing on: planning, organising, implementing, evaluating and assuring the quality of nursing care. The next step will be to develop further the competences in Annex V of the Directive through delegated acts.
The Directive also introduces the European professional card aiming to simplify and speed up the process of mutual recognition for nurses wanting to move within the EU. In times of austerity and cuts, this is crucial for nurses. Once the Directive comes into force, several mechanisms, such as the IMI system, will ensure that the European nurses wishing to move can request a European Professional Card that will prove that their qualifications are fully recognised.
Finally, the reviewed Directive stresses the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) for nurses and other healthcare professionals. Being a priority for the European Commission, this critical issue has been strengthened in the Directive, in order to ensure that all the healthcare professionals are able to update their knowledge, skills and competences regularly.
Taking all this into account, we can say that a lot is still to be done in this important modernisation process, knowing that once the Directive is officially published (by the end of the year) the next steps will go into putting in place the necessary tools to ensure an appropriate and full implementation at national level.
The final vote on the modernised text will take place on 7 October 2013 at European Parliament Plenary, in Strasbourg.
To conclude, the EFN would like to thank the EU policy makers for all their support towards the nurses in the modernisation process, and wishes them all success for the future, in their future professional endeavours, and for the upcoming elections. Nurses will recognise in their vote those who support nurses and nursing.