On 1-5 July, an evaluation session of the European Qualifications Passport for Refugees (EQPR) was held at the Universities of Palermo and Catania.
Refugees had their qualifications assessed by credential evaluators from the National Information Centres (ENICs) of Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands and Norway. The assessment session saw the participation as observers of ENICs from Belgium (Flemish Community) and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
During the evaluation session, 49 refugees were interviewed and 27 interviews were done online. As a result of the session, 39 EQPRs have been issued. Since the beginning of the project in 2017, 406 refugees have had their qualifications assessed and 337 EQPRs have been issued.
In Palermo and Catania, most of the qualifications assessed by the credential evaluators were upper secondary qualifications. Many candidates expressed a wish to continue further studies at higher education level. Two candidates explained the motivation behind their wish to study law, highlighting that “everyone should be allowed to have access to their rights”.
The EQPR supports the implementation of Article VII of the Lisbon Recognition Convention by assessing refugees’ qualifications even in the absence of full documentation and thus facilitating the recognition of refugees’ qualifications.
The project started in 2017 and is now in its third year. EQPR holders have been able to enter further studies and/or to find a job relevant to their field of study. The EQPR supports a faster integration, and refugees as well as local authorities benefit from the EQPR.
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