15.1.85 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 13/3 
Proposal for a Council Regulation amending Regulation (EEC) No 355/77 on common 
measures to improve the conditions under which agricultural and fishery products are 
processed and marketed 
COM(84) 682 final 
(Submitted by the Commission to the Council on 7 December 1984) 
(84/C 13/03) 
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN 
COMMUNITIES, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the 
European Economic Community, and in particular 
Article 43 thereof, 
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, 
Having regard to the opinion of the European 
Parliament, 
Whereas Article 16 (3) of Regulation (EEC) No 
355/77 ('), as last amended by Regulation (EEC) No 
1932/84 (2), stipulates that the estimated cost of the 
common measures instituted by that Regulation and 
chargeable to the European Agricultural Guidance 
and Guarantee Fund, Guidance Section, for the 
period 1 January 1985 to 31 December 1989 is to be 
fixed by 31 December 1984; 
Whereas, given the real need to improve the 
conditions under which agricultural and fishery 
products are processed and marketed, provision 
C) OJ No L 51, 23. 2. 1977, p. 1. 
O OJNoL180,7. 7. 1984, p. 1. should be made for an overall Community 
contribution amounting to 242,5 million ECU in 1985 
and 300 million ECU per year in subsequent years, 
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: 
Article 1 
Regulation (EEC) No 355/77 is hereby amended as 
follows: 
The last subparagraph of Article 16 (3) is replaced by 
the following: 
'The estimated cost of the common measures 
chargeable to the Fund for the period 1 January 
1985 to 31 December 1989 is 1 442,5 million ECU, 
i.e. an estimated cost of 242,5 million ECU in 1985 
and 300 million ECU per year in subsequent years. 
These amounts are for guidance only.' 
Article 2 
This Regulation shall enter into force on the third 
day following its publication in the Official Journal of 
the European Communities. 
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and 
directly applicable in all Member States. 
Proposal for a Council Directive on specific training in general medical practice 
COM(84) 634 final 
(Submitted by the Commission to the Council on 11 December 1984) 
(84/C 13/04) 
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN 
COMMUNITIES, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the 
European Economic Community, and in particular 
Articles 49, 57 and 66 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, 
Having regard to the opinion of the European 
Parliament, 
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and 
Social Committee, 
No C 13/4 Official Journal of the European Communities 15.1. 85 
Whereas Directives 75/362/EEC O and 75/363/ 
EEC (2) of 16 June 1975 concerning the freedom on 
the part of doctors to provide services do not contain 
any provisions regarding the mutual recognition of 
diplomas, certificates and other evidence of formal 
qualifications in general medical practice or the 
criterion with which this condition conforms; 
Whereas Member States have developed a tendency 
to emphasize the general practitioner's role and the 
importance of the related training; whereas they 
accordingly requested the Commission to study the 
problems connected with this development; 
Whereas this tendency has spread and amplified to 
the point where it is almost universally recognized 
that there is need for specific training for the general 
medical practitioner to enable him better to fulfil his 
function; whereas this function depends to a great 
extent on the doctor's personal knowledge of his 
patients' environment, and consists of giving 
treatment and advice relating to the health of the 
individual taken as a whole; 
Whereas this need has emerged mainly as a result of 
the development of medical science which has 
increased the gap between teaching and medical 
research on the one hand and the exercise of general 
medical practice on the other, so that the important 
aspects of general medical practice can no longer be 
taught in a satisfactory manner within the traditional 
basic medical framework; 
Whereas apart from the benefit to patients, it is also 
recognized in the general health policy context that 
improved training for the specific function of general 
medical practitioner would contribute to an 
improvement in health care, particularly by 
developing a more selective approach to the consul­
tation of specialists, use of laboratories and other 
highly specialized establishments and equipment; 
Whereas an improvement in the training for general 
medical practice will attract a greater number of 
candidates to this field; 
Whereas although this tendency appears to be irre­
versible, it has developed at a different pace in the 
various Member States; whereas it is desirable to 
ensure that the tendency converges at the same point 
after successive stages without however precipitating 
current trends, the final goal being that any doctor 
who wishes to take up the function of general 
(') OJ No L 167, 30. 6. 1975, p. 1. 
(2) OJ No L 167, 30. 6. 1975, p. 14. medical practitioner should possess specific training in 
general medical practice in addition to the training 
which the doctor should have by virtue of Directive 
75/363/EEC; 
Whereas, to ensure the gradual introduction of this 
reform, it is necessary at the first stage to institute in 
each Member State specific training in general 
medical practice meeting minimum requirements as 
regards quantity and quality, and to establish in each 
Member State a professional title granted only to 
candidates who have completed the said training; 
whereas in the second stage, provision should be 
made to subject the exercise of general medical 
practice under a social security system to completion 
of specific training in general medical practice; 
whereas further proposals to complete the reform 
should subsequently be put forward; 
Whereas the coordination of minimum conditions 
governing the issue of diplomas, certificates and other 
evidence of formal qualifications certifying 
completion of specific training in general medical 
practice in accordance with this Directive will make 
possible the mutual recognition of these diplomas, 
certificates and other evidence of qualifications by the 
Member States; 
Whereas under Directive 75/362/EEC a Member 
State is not entitled to require doctors in possession 
of diplomas obtained in another Member State and 
recognized under this Directive to complete any 
additional training in order to practise within its 
social security system, even where such training is 
required from holders of diplomas of medicine 
obtained in that Member State; whereas this 
consequence of Directive 75/362/EEC will remain in 
effect as regards the practice of general medical 
practice under social security systems until 1 January 
1993, from which date under the present Directive all 
Member States must make the exercise of general 
medical practice in the context of their social security 
systems subject to the possession of specific training 
in general medical practice; whereas doctors 
established in practice before that date by virtue of 
Directive 75/362/EEC should possess an acquired 
right to exercise the activities of doctor as general 
medical practitioner under the national social security 
system of the host country without completing a 
specific training in general medical practice, 
HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE: 
Article 1 
1. Each Member State shall institute specific 
training in general medical practice meeting 
15.1. 85 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 13/5 
requirements at least as stringent as those laid down 
in Article 2 in such a manner that the first diplomas, 
certificates and other evidence of formal 
qualifications awarded on completion of the course 
are issued not later than 1 January 1990. 
2. Not later than 1 January 1990 and subject to 
any acquired rights which it recognizes, each Member 
State shall make the right to the professional title 
which it specifies conditional on the possession of a 
diploma, certificate or other evidence of formal 
qualification issued in respect of the specific training 
referred to in paragraph 1. 
Article 2 
1. The specific training in general medical practice 
referred to in Article 1 must meet the following 
minimum requirements: 
(a) entry shall be conditional upon the successful 
completion of at least six year's study within the 
framework of the training course referred to in 
Article 1 of Directive 75/363/EEC; 
(b) it shall be a full-time course lasting at least two 
years and supervized by the competent authorities 
or bodies; 
(c) it shall be practically rather than theoretically 
based, the practical instruction being given in a 
suitably equipped hospital or clinic and for at 
least six months in an approved general medical 
practice; it shall be carried out in contact with 
other health establishments structures concerned 
with general medical practice; 
(d) it shall entail the personal participation of the 
candidate in the activities and responsibilities of 
the persons with whom he works. 
2. The Member States shall make the issue of 
diplomas, certificates and other evidence of formal 
qualifications awarded after specific training in 
general medical practice conditional upon the 
candidate holding one of the diplomas, certificates or 
other evidence of qualifations referred to in Article 3 
of Directive 75/363/EEC. 
3. The Member States shall designate the auth­
orities or bodies competent to issue the diplomas, 
certificates and other evidence of formal 
qualifications awarded after specific training in 
general medical practice. 
Article 3 
1. Without prejudice to the principle set out in 
Article 2 (1) (b) that training shall be full-time, the 
Member States may permit part-time specific training 
in general medical practice when for well-founded 
personal reasons training on a full-time basis would 
not be practicable. 2. Part-time training must be equivalent in quality 
to full-time training. Its total duration may not be 
reduced by reason of the fact that it is provided on a 
part-time basis. On completion of the training, a 
diploma, certificate or other title as referred to in 
Article 1(1) must be issued. 
Article 4 
1. Irrespective of any acquired rights they 
recognize, Member States may issue the diploma, 
certificate or other evidence of formal qualifactions 
referred to in Article 1 (1) to a doctor who has not 
completed the training referred to in Article 2 but 
holds a diploma, certificate or other evidence of 
formal qualification issued by the competent auth­
orities of a Member State and certifying completion 
of another additonal training course, provided that: 
— this is justified by the individual circumstances, 
— the diploma issued attests to a level of skill 
equivalent to that reached on completion of the 
training referred to in Article 2. 
2. In adopting their rules in accordance with 
paragraph 1, Member States shall specify the extent 
to which the additional training already completed by 
the candidate and his professional experience may be 
taken into account in place of all or part of the 
training referred to in Article 2. 
Article 5 
1. From 1 January 1993 and subject to the 
acquired rights it has recognized, each Member State 
shall make the exercise of general medical practice 
under its social security system conditional on 
possession of a diploma, certificate or other evidence 
of formal qualifications as referred to in Article 1(1). 
However, Member States may exempt from this 
condition persons who are undergoing specific 
training in general medical practice. 
2. Each Member State shall specify the acquired 
rights that it recognizes. However, it shall recognize 
the right to exercise the activities of general medical 
practitioner under its national social security system 
without the diploma, certificate or other evidence of 
formal qualifications referred to in Article 1 (1) as 
having been acquired by all those doctors who on 31 
December 1992 possess such a right under Directive 
75/362/EEC and who are established on its territory 
by virtue of Article 2 or 9 (1) of that Directive. 
No C 13/6 Official Journal of the European Communities 15.1.85 
3. Member States may apply paragraph 1 before 
1 January 1993 on condition that any doctor is able 
to establish himself in practice on their territory until 
31 December 1992 by virtue of Articles 2 or 9 (1) of 
Directive 75/362/EEC. 
4. The competent authorities of each Member 
State shall issue on request a certificate granting 
doctors possessing acquired rights by virtue of 
paragraph 2 the right to practise under its national 
social security system without the diploma, certificate 
or other evidence of formal qualifications as referred 
to in Article 1 (1). 
5. The provisions of paragraph 1 shall in no way 
prejudice any facility which may be granted in 
accordance with their own rules by Member States in 
respect of their own territory for purposes of auth­
orizing as general medical practitioners under a social 
security system persons who do not possess diplomas, 
certificates or other formal evidence of medical 
training and of specific training in general medical 
practice obtained in both cases in a Member State, 
but who possess diplomas, certificates or other 
evidence of either or both of these schemes of 
training obtained in a non-member country. 
Article 6 
1. Each Member State shall recognize the 
diplomas, certificates and other evidence of formal 
qualifications referred to in Article 1 (1) issued to 
nationals of Member States by other Member States 
in accordance with Articles 2, 3 or 4 as being 
equivalent within its territory to the diplomas, cer­
tificates or other evidence of formal qualifications 
awarded by that Member State, and thus authorizing 
the exercise of the activities of general medical 
practitioner under its national social security system. 
2. Each Member State shall recognize the cer­
tificates referred to in Article 5 (4) issued to 
Community nationals by other Member States and 
consider them as equivalent to the certificates, 
diplomas and the like issued by its own competent 
authorities and entitling the holder to practise as a 
general medical practitioner under its national social 
security system. 
Article 7 
Nationals of Member States to whom a Member 
State has issued the diplomas, certificates and other 
evidence of formal qualifications referred to in Article 
1 (1) shall have the right to use in the host Member 
State the professional title adopted by that State 
pursuant to Article 1 (2) and the abbreviation thereof. Article 8 
1. "Without prejudice to Article 7, host Member 
States shall ensure that the nationals of Member 
States covered by Article 6 have the right to use the 
lawful academic title, or, where appropriate, the 
abbreviation thereof, of their Member State of origin 
or of the Member State from which they come, in the 
language of that Member State. Host Member States 
may require this title to be followed by the name and 
location of the establishment or examining board 
which awarded it. 
2. If the academic title used in the Member State 
of origin, or in the Member State from which a 
foreign national comes, can be confused in the host 
Member State with a title requiring specific training 
which the person concerned has not undergone, the 
host Member State may require such a person to use 
the title employed in the Member State of origin or 
the Member State from which he comes in suitable 
wording to be drawn up by the host member State. 
Article 9 
Not later than 1 January 1995, the Commission shall 
present a report to the Council describing the extent 
to which the application of Article 5 has helped to 
achieve the objective that any doctor wishing to 
practise as general medical practitioner must have 
completed specific training in general medical 
practice; it shall also present the necessary proposals 
to achieve this objective in full. 
Article 10 
1. Member States shall inform the Commission and 
the other Member States of the measures taken to 
comply with this Directive. 
They shall also notify the Commission and the other 
Member States of the date of entry into force of these 
measures. 
2. As soon as a Member State has informed the 
Commission of the date of entry into force of the 
measures it has taken in conformity with Article 1(1) 
and (2), the latter shall publish an appropirate notice 
in the Official Journal of the European Communities 
indicating the designations adopted by that Member 
State for the diploma, certificate or other evidence of 
formal qualifications in question. 
Article 11 
This Directive is addressed to the Member States.