WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2263/96 by Glyn FORD to the Commission. Qualifications for computer operatives
Date: 1996-08-27
Institutions: European Parliament, FORD
Subjects: access to a profession, competence of the Member States, computer, free movement of workers, higher education, information technology profession, professional qualifications, recognition of diplomas, right of establishment, vocational training













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91996E2263

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2263/96 by Glyn FORD to the Commission. Qualifications for computer operatives  


Official Journal C 011 , 13/01/1997 P. 0074 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-2263/96 by Glyn Ford (PSE) to the Commission (27 August 1996)Subject: Qualifications for computer operativesIs there a recognized EU-wide standardized qualification for computer operatives?Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission (4 October 1996)Most occupations are not regulated at Community level; a few (mainly in the health-care sector) are subject to minimum standards laid down in 'sectoral' directives. Each Member State is responsible for regulating all aspects of taking up and pursuing a given occupation.However, since the discrepancies between Member States' regulations risked impeding the free movement of persons, a general system for the recognition of qualifications was introduced. Subject to certain conditions, the system applies to all occupations that are not covered by a specific directive (and hence to the occupation of computer operative).The system was set up by Directive 89/48/EEC ((OJ L 19, 24.1.1989. )) on a general system for the recognition of higher-education diplomas awarded on completion of professional education and training of at least three years' duration and by Directive 92/51/EEC ((OJ L 209, 24.7.1992. )) on a second general system for the recognition of professional education and training to supplement Directive 89/48/EEC. Whether the one or the other applies in a specific case depends on the level of qualification required in order to take up the occupation concerned. The first Directive covers university-level education and training, while the second covers qualifications obtained on completion of a secondary or technical course or of a post-secondary course lasting at least one (and possibly two) years following the award of an advanced level school-leaving certificate.The system applies whenever an occupation is regulated in a Member State, i.e. whenever taking up a given occupation is subject to legislative or administrative rules requiring possession of a qualification. The basis for recognition is that the occupation which a migrant wishes to pursue in the host Member State must be identical to that for which he/she has been trained in his/her home Member State. The system neither requires Member States to regulate the pursuit of occupations that might be covered by the Directives, nor does it coordinate education and training. The two Directives merely lay down the necessary and sufficient requirements that an applicant must satisfy in order to obtain recognition. Member States remain free to determine the minimum qualifications required in order to take up and pursue a given occupation.The general system also provides for a migrant whose education and training differs substantially from that required in the host Member State to choose whether to take an aptitude test or to complete an adaptation period. For the system to apply, the migrant has to be fully qualified in his/her home Member State to pursue the occupation in question, i.e. he/she is required to have completed all the necessary formalities and periods of work experience after obtaining the qualification itself.