The Council of Europe Ad Hoc Working Group on Automatic Recognition has been exploring the topic of automatic recognition of qualifications for the last two years. What, in your opinion, is meant by “automatic recognition” of qualifications?

In theory the answer is simple. Automatic recognition of qualifications is first and foremost a technical term that refers to immediate – in the literal sense: not mediated – recognition. Following successful examples of bilateral and regional agreements on mutual automatic recognition, the definition of automatic recognition was coined in the EU Council Recommendation of 26 November 2018 on promoting automatic mutual recognition of higher education and upper secondary education and training qualifications and the outcomes of learning periods abroad (2018/C 444/01) as a right of qualification holders which should eliminate any separate recognition procedures.

In this sense, automatic recognition is the opposite of procedural recognition. No natural or legal person can impose any procedure upon a holder who wishes to make use of the degrees to which an agreement or decision on automatic recognition is applicable. IT-supported procedures also count as “procedures”. Hence, automatic recognition should not be confused with “automated” recognition that is currently applied between some countries.

Although automatic recognition can in theory be applied to a wide range of academic and professional qualifications at different levels and in various subjects, the working group has limited the scope of the work and the future legal instrument to:

• generic (vs specific) recognition.  Automatic recognition is understood as generic recognition, i.e. regarding degree level. Nevertheless, it is expected that the recognition of general degree level will make a stronger case for the specific recognition, i.e. in a particular field of study.
• academic (vs professional) recognition. Automatic recognition is limited to the recognition of academic degrees, i.e. seen from the angle of their value as a learning qualification. It is therefore not targeting EU regulated aspects of access to professional employment set out by the EU Directive on professional recognition (Directive 2013/55/EU)

What is the current state of play of automatic recognition of qualifications in Europe?

The EHEA presents a scattered picture, despite the fact that the Bologna Process since its inception in 1999 has been geared towards the realisation of automatic recognition.

Currently, the EHEA countries loosely practise four types of automatic recognition:

1. Legally binding bilateral or multilateral agreements;
2. National lists of recognised foreign qualifications;
3. Mutual declarations or non-binding statements;
4. De facto recognition by national authorities without formal procedures.

Needless to say that definitions may vary largely across Europe, and, often, current practices do not guarantee the legal right to automatic recognition and/or reciprocity of recognition between institutions.

What are the main challenges in achieving automatic recognition of qualifications and how could they be tackled?

Automatic recognition is a void concept if only self-declared. It is a reciprocal process and thus requires mutual trust in the quality of national higher education (systems). This implies that higher education systems have to make a genuine effort to maintain solid quality assurance and recognition systems and to provide transparency of their qualifications system. This explains, the importance of the correct application of key EHEA instruments: European Standards and Guidelines of the EHEA, the Qualifications Framework for the European Area and the European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning, as well as the ratification and full implementation of the UNESCO/Council of Europe Lisbon Recognition Convention. Moreover, quality is intrinsically linked to an overall vision of higher education for a democratic future of Europe. Higher education systems should be aligned with the acquis in the EHEA on issues such as social inclusion, integrity, academic freedom and institutional autonomy, as well as involve the academic community in governance and decision-making and finally promote the nexus between education, research and the “third mission” (social outreach).  

What can the Council of Europe do in advancing automatic recognition in Europe?

Mutual trust in the quality of national higher education systems is far from achieved between all 46 member States of the Council of Europe. This lack of trust is the main reason  why there is so little progress on automatic recognition across Europe.  Moreover, there is a high need of clarification of the concept of automatic recognition and of the distinction from other key terms, such as access and admission. We also need to define the roles of the different educational partners. Based on its longstanding experience and expertise in higher education policy and the recognition of qualifications in particular, the Council of Europe is particularly well equipped to propose a new Council of Europe legal text building on the principles of the Lisbon Recognition Convention and other related standards within the Council of Europe and to ensure their full implementation. The Working Group on Automatic Recognition has the task to prepare the drafting for such document on automatic recognition. In doing so, a triangular, and mutually reinforcing relationship would be established between the new legal text, the 2021 Multilateral Treaty on the Automatic Recognition of Higher Education Qualifications (initiated by the Baltic States and Benelux countries but open to the other EHEA countries) and the UNESCO/Council of Europe Lisbon Recognition Convention. The three instruments would thus ensure the functioning of a reinforced legal space for the recognition of qualifications across all EHEA members, based on common principles, standards and obligations, while at the same time helping speed up the process of making automatic recognition a reality in the EHEA. The new Legal Framework will not establish automatic recognition as such but will contain the preconditions for higher education policies to facilitate mutual automatic recognition.