COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Evaluation of Decision (EU) 2018/646 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 April 2018 on a common framework for the provision of better services for skills and qualifications (Europass) and repealing Decision No 2241/2004/EC Accompanying the document REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL on the implementation and impact of Decision (EU) 2018/646 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 April 2018 on a common framework for the provision of better services for skills and qualifications (Europass) and repealing Decision No 2241/2004/EC (submitted pursuant to Art. 9 of the Decision (EU) 2018/646)
Date: 2024-03-25
Institutions: Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission
Subjects: EU employment policy, cooperation in the field of education, dissemination of information, education policy, information system, professional qualifications, vocational training

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 25.3.2024  SWD(2024) 71 final  COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Evaluation of Decision (EU) 2018/646 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 April 2018        on a common framework for the provision of better services for skills and qualifications (Europass) and repealing Decision No 2241/2004/EC Accompanying the document REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL on the implementation and impact of Decision (EU) 2018/646 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 April 2018             on a common framework for the provision of better services for skills and qualifications (Europass) and repealing Decision No 2241/2004/EC           (submitted pursuant to Art. 9 of the Decision (EU) 2018/646)                                                                                            
 
 
Table of contents 

1. 

INTRODUCTION …………………………………………………………………………………………...1 

1.1 Purpose and scope of the evaluation ............................................................................................. 1 

1.2 Overview of the methodology ....................................................................................................... 2 

2.  WHAT WAS THE EXPECTED OUTCOME OF EUROPASS? 

4 

2.1 Description of Europass and its objectives .................................................................................... 4 

2.1.1 Policy context and evolution ...................................................................................................... 4 

2.1.2 Intervention logic ....................................................................................................................... 5 

2.2 Points of comparison ..................................................................................................................... 8 

3.  HOW HAS THE SITUATION EVOLVED OVER THE EVALUATION PERIOD? 

11 

3.1.  Delivery of Europass tools and services ................................................................................ 11 

3.2. 

Implementation of the Europass Decision by the Commission and Member States ............. 14 

4. 

EVALUATION FINDINGS (ANALYTICAL PART) 

19 

4.1. 

To what extent was the intervention successful and why? .................................................... 19 

4.1.1 Effectiveness ............................................................................................................................ 19 

4.1.2 Efficiency ................................................................................................................................. 30 

4.1.3 Coherence ................................................................................................................................. 34 

4.2.  How did the EU intervention make a difference and to whom (EU added value and impact)? 
 ............................................................................................................................................... 38 

4.3. 

Is the intervention still relevant? ........................................................................................... 39 

4.3.1 Need for information and guidance on job and learning opportunities and skills required by the 
labour market ..................................................................................................................................... 40 

4.3.2 Need for improved transparency and comparability of qualifications and skills ..................... 44 

4.3.3 Need to reduce the fragmentation between different skills, qualifications and labour mobility 
tools 

 ............................................................................................................................................... 45 

4.3.4 Need for a shared understanding of skills and qualifications and an EU infrastructure for 
digital credentials (EDC) ................................................................................................................... 47 

5.  WHAT ARE THE CONCLUSIONS AND LESSONS LEARNED? 

49 

5.1.  Conclusions ........................................................................................................................... 49 

5.1.1 Effectiveness ............................................................................................................................ 49 

5.1.2 Efficiency ................................................................................................................................. 52 

5.1.3 Coherence ................................................................................................................................. 53 

5.1.4 EU added value and impact ...................................................................................................... 54 

5.1.5 Relevance ................................................................................................................................. 54 

5.2. 

Lessons learned ..................................................................................................................... 56 

ANNEX I:  PROCEDURAL INFORMATION 

60 

 
 
 
ANNEX II. METHODOLOGY AND ANALYTICAL MODELS USED 

ANNEX III. EVALUATION MATRIX 

ANNEX IV. OVERVIEW OF BENEFITS AND COSTS AND TABLE ON SIMPLIFICATION AND 

BURDEN REDUCTION 

61 

76 

89 

Table 6 - Overview of benefits and costs identified in the evaluation .............................................. 89 

Table 7 - Simplification and burden reduction .................................................................................. 92 

ANNEX V. STAKEHOLDERS CONSULTATION - SYNOPSIS REPORT 

94 

Consultation strategy ......................................................................................................................... 94 

Public consultation ............................................................................................................................ 97 

Surveys ............................................................................................................................................ 103 

Interviews ........................................................................................................................................ 109 

Qualitative observations .................................................................................................................. 112 

ANNEX  VI.  MAIN  CHANGES  TO  EUROPASS  AND  EVOLUTION  OVER  THE  EVALUATION 

PERIOD 

ANNEX VII. UPTAKE OF EUROPASS TOOLS AND SERVICES 

ANNEX VIII. USER AND STAKEHOLDER PERCEPTION OF EUROPASS 

116 

128 

134 

 
 
 
Table of figures 

Figure 1 - EU tools and initiatives that the Europass policy framework interacts with, 

integrates and supports 

Figure 2 - Intervention logic - Needs 

Figure 3 - Intervention logic - Objectives 

Figure 4 - Intervention logic – Inputs (EU level and Member States Level) 

Figure 5 - Intervention logic – EU level activities and outputs 

Figure 6 - Intervention logic – National level activities and outputs 

Figure 7 - Annual number of new profiles created on the new Europass platform 

Figure 8 - Number of unique visitors per month (August 2020 to January 2023) 

Figure 9 - Number of Europass mentions by month (2020-2022) 

Figure 10 – Intervention logic of Europass 

Figure 11 - Respondents to the public consultation 

Figure 12 - Country distribution of respondents to the public consultation 

Figure 13 - Familiarity with the Europass tools and services 

Figure 14 - Usefulness of the Europass tools and services 

Figure 15 - Awareness and uptake of the Europass tools and services 

Figure 16 - Levels of satisfaction with Europass tools 

Figure 17 - Number of page visits on Europass (2005-2019) 

Figure 18 - Number of documents generated online (2005-2019) 

Figure 19 - Uptake of Europass web-based tools and services 

Figure 20 - Use of the Europass platform for retrieving information 

Figure 21 - Overview of the number of EDCs stored in Europass wallets by months and 

over time 

Figure 22 - Share of Europass profiles across Member States over their total population 

Figure 23 - Main advantages of Europass 

 
 
 
 
Figure 24 - Importance given to the information and services provided by Europass 

Figure 25 - Share of end-users perceiving Europass tools and services as accessible and 

user-friendly 

Table of tables 

Table 1 - Assessment of the tasks carried out by the European Commission for the 

implementation of the Europass Decision. 

Table 2 – Evaluation questions  

Table 3 - Surveys implemented in the context of the evaluation of Europass 

Table 4 - Geographic coverage by category of interviewed stakeholders 

Table 5 - Evaluation matrix 

Table 6 - Overview of benefits and costs and table on simplification and burden reduction 

Table 7 - Simplification and burden reduction 

Table 8 - Types of stakeholders consulted  

Table 9 - Stakeholders’ participation in consultation activities 

Table 10 - Evolution of Europass, its components and governance 

Table 11 - State of play of implementation of features in the 2020 online platform 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Glossary 

Term or acronym 

Meaning or definition 

2FA 

AI 

CV 

Cedefop 

EDC 

EEA 

ELA 

ELM 

ENIC-NARIC 

EQAR 

EQAVET 

EQF 

ESCO 

ETF 

EURES 

Two Factor Authentication 

Artificial intelligence 

Curriculum vitae 

European Centre for the Development of Vocational 
Training 

European Digital Credentials for Learning 

European Economic Area 

European Labour Authority 

European Learning Model 

European Network of Information Centres in the European 
Region - National Academic Recognition Information 
Centres in the European Union 

European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education 

European quality assurance in vocational education and 
training 

European Qualifications Framework 

Classification of European Skills/Competences, 
Qualifications and Occupations 

European Training Foundation 

European cooperation network of Employment Services 

EURODESK 

European youth information network 

Euroguidance 

European network of national resource and information 
centres for guidance 

EYS 

HR 

HR XML 

LOQ 

European Year of Skills 

Human resources 

Human resources extensible markup language 

Learning Opportunities and Qualifications Portal  

 
 
NECs 

NQF 

PES 

QDR 

VET 

National Europass Centres 

National Qualifications Framework 

Public Employment Services 

Qualifications Dataset Register 

Vocational education and training 

 
 
1. 

INTRODUCTION 

The first version of the Europass framework was established by Decision 2241/2004/EC 
of  the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council  of  15 December  20041.  From  the  outset, 
Europass has provided a set of instruments to support the mobility of people in Europe for 
education  and  employment  purposes  and  the  transparency  of  qualifications,  skills  and 
competences. 

The  Europass  Decision  2018/646  on  a  common  framework  for  the  provision  of  better 
services  for  skills  and  qualifications  was  adopted  in  April  20182.  The  Decision  aims  to 
strengthen  and  develop  Europass  into  a  service-based  platform  that  takes  into  account 
changes since 2004 in technology, the labour market, education and training systems and 
society at large. 

Europass is one of the 12 actions of the 2020 European Skills Agenda3, which aims to help 
individuals  and  businesses  develop  more  and  better  skills  to  support  upskilling  and 
reskilling. This will contribute to the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and achieve 
socially fair green and digital transitions. 

The  new  Europass  provides  tools  and  information  through  an  online  platform4.  The 
European Commission launched it in July 2020 to support people in their lifelong learning 
and  career  management.  The  tools  and  services  can  be  used  by  learners,  workers, 
jobseekers  and  volunteers  to  communicate  and  present  their  skills,  qualifications  and 
experience clearly and consistently across Europe. 

1.1 Purpose and scope of the evaluation 

This staff working document presents the findings of the Commission’s evaluation of the 
Europass Decision. Under Article 9, an evaluation of the impact and implementation of the 

1 Decision No 2241/2004/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 December 2004 on a 

single Community framework for the transparency of qualifications and competences (Europass), 
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv%3AOJ.L_.2004.390.01.0006.01.ENG&toc=OJ%3AL%3A2004%3A39
0%3ATOC. 

2 Referred to in this document as the Europass Decision.  See Decision (EU) 2018/ 646 OF  the European 
Parliament and of the Council - of 18 April 2018 - on a common framework for the provision of better 
services for skills and qualifications (Europass) and repealing Decision No 2241 / 2004/ EC. 

3 EUR-Lex - 52020DC0274 - EN - EUR-Lex (europa.eu). Other recent Commission and Council initiatives 
that  refer  to  Europass  include  the  2021-2027  action  plan  on  integration  and  inclusion,  the  Council 
Recommendation on individual learning accounts, the Council Recommendation on micro credentials for 
lifelong  learning  and  employability,  the  Council  Resolution  on  a  strategic  framework  for  European 
cooperation in education and training towards the European Education Area and beyond (2021-2030) and 
the  Council  Recommendation  on  vocational  education  and 
training  (VET)  for  sustainable 
competitiveness, social fairness and resilience. 

4 Home | Europass. 

1 

 
 
 
Decision is required in 2023 and every 5 years after that. The evaluation is supported by a 
study carried out by an external contractor. 

In line with the Better Regulation guidelines5, the evaluation assesses the extent to which 
Europass  is  effective,  efficient  and  coherent,  provides  EU  added  value  and  remains 
relevant to tackle current needs6. Moreover, the evaluation reviews the take-up of Europass 
and its wider impact on the European labour market and  on skills and lifelong learning 
policies. This includes: 

• 

• 

• 

better transparency and comparability of qualifications7, skills and competences; 
less fragmentation between different skills and qualification tools; 
access  to  information  and  guidance  on  job  and  learning  opportunities  and  skills 
required in the labour market. 

For  this  evaluation,  Member  States  were  consulted  regularly  through  the  Europass 
Advisory Group8. 

The evaluation covers the period from 2018, when the Europass Decision was adopted, 
until  2022.  It  focuses  on  2020  when  the  new  platform  was  launched  and  beyond.  The 
geographical  scope  of  the  evaluation  covers  the  27  EU  Member  States,  the  European 
Economic Area (EEA) as well as candidate and potential candidate countries under their 
agreements concluded with the EU (Article 10 of the Europass Decision).  

The  outcome  of  the  evaluation  will  contribute  to  further  developing  and  improving 
Europass  tools  and  services.  Moreover,  the  results  of  this  evaluation  should  be  seen  in 
combination  with  the  those  of  the  2023  evaluation  of  the  European  Qualifications 
Framework9,  as  both  exercises  provide  comprehensive  insights  into  the  role  of  EU 
transparency tools and services for skills and qualifications. 

1.2 Overview of the methodology 

The  evaluation  of  Europass  was  supported  by  a  study10  carried  out  by  an  external 
contractor. The methodology is based on a mixed-method approach, combining primary 

5 Better regulation: guidelines and toolbox. 

6 See Annex III, including the evaluation matrix comprising the full list of evaluation questions. 

7 ‘Qualification’ refers to a formal outcome of an assessment and validation process which is obtained when 
a competent authority determines that an individual has achieved learning outcomes to given standards. 

8  The  Europass  Advisory  Group  is  an  EU-level  consultative  body  comprised  of  stakeholders.  The 

Commission set it up to support implementing the Europass Decision. 

9   See Evaluation of the Council Recommendation of 22 May 2017 on the European Qualifications 

Framework for lifelong learning (SWD(2024) 141). 

10   See ‘Study supporting the Europass ex-post evaluation’, Verian Group (former Kantar Public) 

(https://op.europa.eu/en/web/general-publications). 

2 

 
 
and secondary data and covering different user profiles. More precisely, the mixed-method 
approach11 comprised 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

a desk review of relevant official documents and literature 
data analysis (Europass platform user data, cost data provided by the Commission, 
Google search and social media analysis) 
quantitative primary data (three targeted surveys to Europass users and non-users12, 
employers, and education and training providers) 
qualitative  insights  from  in-depth  stakeholder  interviews,  targeted  qualitative 
observations of non-users, discovering the Europass platform and functionalities 
for the first time. 
a public consultation and a call for evidence13. 

An  intervention  logic14  was  developed  in  the  context  of  this  evaluation  as  well  as  an 
evaluation matrix. The matrix linked the evaluation criteria to the intervention logic and 
used the key elements to draw up research questions. 

One  of  the  evaluation’s  challenges  is  that  the  scope  of  the  previous  pre-2018  Europass 
framework was significantly narrower than the new one. Consequently, comparing the two 
frameworks is more difficult. Another challenge was related to the availability of data to 
prepare  the  supporting  study,  e.g.  monitoring  data  on  the  uptake  and  use  of  specific 
Europass  tools  and  monitoring  data  on  National  Europass  Centres  (NECs)15  since  2020 
when the centres submitted their last final activity reports. Mitigation measures included 
using data collected through the survey targeted at users and non-users to map the use of 
specific tools, a social media analysis on communication activities carried out as well the 
use of data from  a  survey  of NECs carried out  by the Commission  in  2022. Moreover, 
specific questions were included in stakeholder interviews. 

Further details on the methodology are available in Annex II to this report (Methodology 
and analytical models used). 

11 Respondent numbers and percentages included in this staff working document are not representative for 
the EU as a whole. Figures quoted are from the different data collection tools deployed in the context of 
this evaluation. Further details on the stakeholder groups covered and the number of respondents for 
each data collection tool can be found in Annex V “Synopsis report” in table “Table 9 - Stakeholders’ 
participation in consultation activities”. 

12  Users  and  non-users  (in  total  7647  respondents)  were  reached  with  two  different  samples:  the  general 
population sample (which included both users and non-users from 10 countries, 4040 respondents) and 
the Europass users sample which was reached via an open link on the Europass platform and a mailing 
to Europass users (3607 respondents). 

13 See the public consultation results on the Commission’s Have your Say website: Lifelong learning and 
career  management  -  evaluation  of  Europass  since  2018.  The  results  of  all  stakeholder  consultation 
activities are summarised in the Synopsis Report (see Annex V to this document). 

14 See Figure 10 in Annex II (Intervention logic for Europass). 

15 National Europass Centres (NECs) have been set up in each Europass country to provide user support and 

promote skills and qualifications documentation. 

3 

 
 
2.  WHAT WAS THE EXPECTED OUTCOME OF EUROPASS? 

2.1 Description of Europass and its objectives 

The new Europass provides tools and information through an online platform to support 
people  in  their  lifelong  learning  and  career  management.  As  set  out  in  Article 1  of  the 
Europass  Decision,  the  platform  can  be  used  by  individuals,  such  as  learners,  workers, 
jobseekers  and  volunteers,  to  communicate  and  present  their  skills,  qualifications  and 
experience clearly and consistently across Europe. Other stakeholders include education 
and  training  providers,  guidance  practitioners,  employers,  public  employment  services, 
social  partners,  youth  work  providers,  youth  organisations,  volunteer  organisations  and 
policymakers. 

Since  its  launch  in  July  2020,  Europass  has  evolved  from  providing  downloadable 
templates  into  a  service-based  platform  that  provides  individuals  with  better  access  to 
information on opportunities for working and learning in Europe, on how to assess their 
digital skills and how to present information about their skills and qualifications. 

2.1.1 Policy context and evolution 

Europass and its development are related to two of the six priorities set out by the von der 
Leyen Commission when taking office16. These are A Europe fit for the digital age and An 
economy that works for the people. Europass can contribute to these strategic priorities by 
improving the transparency of skills and qualifications of individuals applying for jobs. 
This supports better matching candidates to jobs regardless of the language or technology 
used to advertise such jobs, the countries where the jobs and the candidates are located or 
where candidates acquired their skills and qualifications. 

As part of the European Pillar of Social Rights17, the main policy frameworks related to 
Europass  are  the  European  Skills  Agenda,  the  European  Education  Area  and  Europe’s 
Digital Decade. These policies are linked to different EU tools and initiatives that Europass 
serves in different ways and more specifically to different services and tools provided by 
Europass.  Figure  1  presents  the  EU  tools  and  initiatives  that  Europass  interacts  with, 
integrates or supports. 

Figure 1: EU tools and initiatives that the Europass policy framework interacts with, integrates and supports 

Source: External supporting study by Kantar 

16 https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024_en  

17 The European Pillar of Social Rights in 20 principles - Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion - European 

Commission (europa.eu). 

4 

 
 
 
2.1.2 Intervention logic 

For the evaluation exercise, an intervention logic was developed18 as described below. 

2.1.2.1 Needs 

Europass aims to address the needs of individuals and other stakeholders in the areas of 
learning,  working  or  volunteering  to  access  information  and  guidance  on  what 
opportunities are available, how to assess skills and how to present information about skills 
and qualifications. 

Figure 2: Intervention logic – Needs 

Source: External supporting study by Kantar 

Differences in definitions related to skills and qualifications, document formats, languages, 
assessments and validation methods can represent considerable challenges for individuals, 
employers  and  education  and  training  providers,  especially  when  moving  between 
countries.  These  differences  also  affect  people  moving  within  a  country,  between 
employment sectors or across different sectors of education and training. To address these 
challenges, it is important to have clear, transparent and fully accessible information and a 
common understanding of skills and qualifications. 

Furthermore, skills, experience and learning achievements are acknowledged in different 
ways. The use of digital technologies is changing the way individuals present information 
on acquired skills and qualifications. Traditionally, individuals have presented information 
in a CV and supporting documents, such as certificates or diplomas. Now, new tools are 
available that can facilitate the presentation of skills and qualifications by using different 
online  and  digital  formats.  Examples  of  such  digital  formats  are  the  European  Digital 
Credentials for Learning, which make it possible to issue and seal learning credentials in a 
digital format. 

2.1.2.2 Objectives 

Recital  34  of  the  Europass  Decision  clearly  states  the  general  objective  of  Europass, 
which is to create a comprehensive and interoperable framework of tools and information, 
in particular for transnational employment and learning mobility purposes. 

18 For the complete intervention logic, see Annex II, Figure 10 Intervention logic of Europass. 

5 

 
 
 
 
Figure 3: Intervention logic – Objectives 

Source: External supporting study by Kantar (“SO” stands for Specific Objectives) 

This general objective can be broken down into three specific objectives: 

• 

• 

• 

supporting the mobility of individuals for work and education opportunities in the 
EU; 
better integrating services for learners, jobseekers, workers, volunteers, employers 
and education and training providers to communicate skills and competences, with 
a focus on disadvantaged groups;  
fostering  a  common  framework  for  the  transparency  and  recognition  of 
qualifications/validation of skills among Member States. 

2.1.2.3 Inputs 

In  terms  of  inputs19,  Erasmus+  and  European  Social  Fund  Plus  (ESF+)  financial 
instruments  and  programmes  contribute  to  supporting  Europass  activities  at  EU  level. 
NECs are also co-funded by the countries that contribute financially to these activities. 

Figure 4: Intervention logic – Inputs (EU level and Member States Level) 

Source: External supporting study by Kantar 

2.1.2.4 EU and national activities and outputs 

With the support of the input described above,  Europass  activities can be grouped into 
activities at EU and national level as presented below. 

19 For further details on the EU funding dedicated to Europass, please see section 4.1.2 “Efficiency”. 

6 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 5: Intervention logic – EU-level activities and outputs 

Source: External supporting study by Kantar 

Figure 6: Intervention logic – National-level activities and outputs 

Source: External supporting study by Kantar 

7 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2.1.2.5 Results 

As a result of the activities above, Europass is expected to address the needs described in 
Section 2.1.2.1 and, more generally, increase the visibility of its tools and services to end 
users  and  EU  and  national  stakeholders,  thus  facilitating  access  to  opportunities  for 
working and learning. A better understanding of skills and qualifications is also expected 
to lead to a better integration of the labour market. The identification of skills, access to 
information on learning opportunities and possibly access to skills intelligence tools and 
guidance,  validation  and  recognition  of  skills  are  expected  to  support  the  increase  of 
upskilling and reskilling, in line with the Porto targets set for 203020. 

2.1.2.6 Impacts 

The  overall  impact  is  that  individuals  have  help  in  moving  across  Europe  by  using 
Europass to document and present their experience and skills transparently. Furthermore, 
Europass supports achieving the common objectives of the EU’s education policy and is a 
tool for enrolling in education and training and accessing the labour market. 

2.2 Points of comparison 

The  points  of  comparison  in  this  exercise  are  the  previous  Europass  platform  and  the 
different levels of uptake of the different tools available on the new Europass platform. 

According to the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) 
European skills forecast21, the work environment of the upcoming decade will be marked 
by transitions and certain trends: the growing importance of the service sector and high-
skilled jobs and increasing automation/digitalisation. These trends are accompanied by a 
growing demand for high-level skills that need to be acquired by an ageing population. 

The European Skills Agenda22, beyond setting skills targets for 2025, acknowledges how 
the EU population’s current participation in training still falls short of the objectives: 

• 

• 

• 

• 

in  2016,  38%  of  adults  aged  25-64  participated  in  learning  during  the  last  12 
months; 
in 2016, 18% of low-qualified adults aged 25-64 participated in learning during the 
last 12 months; 
in 2019, 11% of unemployed adults aged 25-64 had a recent learning experience; 
in 2022, 54% of adults aged 16-74 had at least basic digital skills23. 

20  Porto  Social  Summit:  all  partners  commit  to  2030  social  targets,  retrieved  8 August  2022 

https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=89&furtherNews=yes&langId=en&newsId=10004. 

21  Cedefop,  Digital,  greener  and  more  resilient  insights  from  Cedefop’s  European  skills  forecast,  2021, 

retrieved on 9 February 2023 at www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/publications. 

22  European  Commission,  European  Skills  Agenda, 

retrieved  on  9 February  2023 

at 

https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1223&langId=en. 

23 The 2030 Digital Compass updates the European Skills Agenda target for basic digital skills to 80% by 
2030. Retrieved on 20 March 2023 at https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-
2024/europe-fit-digital-age/europes-digital-decade-digital-targets-2030_en. 

8 

 
 
 
The human capital chapter of the 2022 Digital Economy and Society Index24 shows that 
54% of Europeans have at least basic digital skills. This is 26% below the target set in the 
Digital Compass, with notable differences between countries. Some Member States, such 
as the Netherlands and Finland, are close to the target with 79% of people having at least 
basic digital skills in 2021. In eight Member States, the share of individuals with at least 
basic  digital  skills  is  lower  than  50%.  The  countries  that  rank  the  lowest  are  Romania, 
Bulgaria, Poland and Italy. 

Around 8.9 million ICT specialists were in employment in 2021, which is 4.5% of the total 
number of people in employment. Even the frontrunners are far from the Digital Decade 
target, with Sweden at 8% and Finland at 7.4%. At the current rate, the EU will fall short 
of the target of 20 million ICT specialists for 2030. 

Moreover, 40% of employers cannot find people with the right skills to fill their vacancies, 
and  not  enough  people  have  the  skill  sets  and  support  to  consider  setting  up  their  own 
business as a realistic career path25. 

As regards student mobility, 1.46 million students from abroad were in tertiary education 
across  the  EU  in  202026.  Students  from  abroad  studying  in  Germany  represented  25% 
(368 700)  of  the  EU  total;  the  next  largest  shares  were  17%  in  France  and  9%  in  the 
Netherlands. More than two fifths (43%) of those students represented student mobility 
within Europe, while 26% of the students were from Asia and 16% from Africa. 

In terms of labour mobility, in 2021 13.9 million EU and EFTA nationals lived in another 
EU country, including around 10.2 million of working age27. Although the number slowed 
during  the  COVID-19  pandemic,  there  has  been  a  constant  year-on-year  increase. 
Additionally, there were 1.34 million EU movers28 residing in EFTA countries, up by 1.8% 
from  2020.  As  a  share  of  the  EU  working-age  population,  EU  movers  have  increased 
steadily  since  2017.  On  1 January  2021,  they  represented  3.9%  of  the  working-age 
population  in  the  EU;  the  percentage  has  increased  every  year  since  2017  when  it  was 
3.5%. 

24 European Commission, Human Capital and Digital Skills in the Digital Economy and Society Index, 
2022, retrieved on 9 February 2023 at https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/desi-human-
capital. 

25 European Commission, Skills and qualifications, retrieved on 9 February 2023 at 

https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?langId=en&catId=1146. 

26 Eurostat, learning mobility statistics, 2022, retrieved on 9 February 2023 at 

https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-
explained/index.php?title=Learning_mobility_statistics#:~:text=Highlights&text=1.46%20million%20
students%20from%20abroad,across%20the%20EU%20in%202020.&text=In%202020%2C%20studen
ts%20from%20abroad,and%209%20%25%20in%20the%20Netherlands. 

27 Annual report on intra-EU labour mobility 2022 

https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?langId=en&catId=89&newsId=10545&furtherNews=yes. 

28 EU movers refer to individuals of EU nationality that reside in another EU or EFTA country. 

9 

 
 
In this context, it is crucial to put in place a comprehensive and interoperable European 
framework of tools and information to support the transparency and understanding of skills 
and  qualifications  experience,  in  particular  for  transnational  employment  and  learning 
purposes. 

The Europass Decision does not make it mandatory to use the platform’s services and tools 
or  set  any  quantitative  targets.  Therefore,  while  the  Decision’s  aim  is  to  increase  the 
number of users of the tools and services, no quantified objectives are set as regards the 
user base (end users29 or stakeholders30). 

While no quantified objectives have been set, this evaluation relies on a baseline and the 
above-mentioned points of comparison  to  assess the performance of the 2018 Europass 
Decision and its implementation. 

29 Learners, jobseekers, workers and volunteers. 

30 Education and training providers, guidance practitioners, employers, public employment services, social 

partners, youth work providers, youth organisations and policymakers. 

10 

 
 
 
 
3.  HOW HAS THE SITUATION EVOLVED OVER THE EVALUATION PERIOD? 

3.1.  Delivery of Europass tools and services 

Articles 3 and 4 of the Europass Decision list what should be included in the Europass 
platform  in  terms  of  web-based  tools,  information  or  links  to  information.  These  are 
described below. 

•  Web-based tools for: 

-  documenting  and  describing  personal  information  in  different  formats, 

including curriculum vitae (CV) and cover letter templates; 

- 

-  documenting  and  describing  skills  and  qualifications  acquired  through 
working  and  learning  experience,  including  through  mobility  and 
volunteering; 
supporting  authentication  services 
representations of information on skills and qualifications; 
assessing skills and self-assessing skills; 

- 
-  documenting  the  learning  outcomes  of  qualifications,  including  the 

for  any  digital  documents  or 

Europass supplement templates31. 

• 

Information or links to information on the following topics: 

learning opportunities; 

- 
-  qualifications  and  qualifications  frameworks  or  systems  in  line  with  the 

European Qualifications Framework (EQF); 

-  opportunities for validating non-formal and informal learning; 
- 

recognition  practices  and  relevant  legislation  in  different  countries, 
including non-EU countries; 
services providing guidance on transnational learning mobility and career 
management; 
skills  intelligence  as  produced  as  part  of  EU  activities  and  by  agencies 
within their areas of responsibility; 
information  on  skills  and  qualifications  that  could  be  relevant  to  the 
particular  needs  of  non-EU  nationals  arriving  or  residing  in  the  EU  to 
support their integration. 

- 

- 

- 

31 The Diploma Supplement is a document which provides information that makes it easier for employers 
and education institutions to understand an individual’s qualification, whereas the Europass Certificate 
Supplement is a document that provides information that makes it easier for employers and educational 
institutions to understand an individual’s vocational qualification. 

11 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
•  A  user-friendly  and  secure  interface  delivered  in  all  Europass  languages 
(languages of EU Member States and other Europass countries) and accessible to 
people with disabilities; 

•  Open standards32 available free of charge for reuse by Member States and other 

stakeholders on a voluntary basis; 

•  An  option  for  users  to  store  personal  data,  such  as  a  personal  profile,  in 

compliance with EU data protection laws; 

•  Support and ensure technical interoperability and synergies with other relevant 
instruments and services offered at EU level and, where appropriate, national level. 

In this context, since 2018 the Europass framework has evolved in the following ways. 

•  Europass platform services and documents 

-  The  new  platform  offers  a  one-stop  shop  for  developing  CVs  and  cover 
letters  as  well  helping  users  reflect  on  their  skills  and  interests  in  the 
Europass e-Portfolio. 

-  The  new  platform  allows  users  to  search  and  apply  for  jobs  as  well  as 
education  and  training  opportunities  using  different  documents  of  their 
choice  that  represent  their  achievements  and  experience,  stored  in  their 
personal library. 

-  To support guidance provision, the new platform allows users to self-assess 

their digital skills. 

-  Europass  document  templates  have  been  updated,  and  some  have  been 
digitised and streamlined. In this context, the European Digital Credential 
infrastructure has been introduced as an authentication service for digital 
documents. 

• 

Interoperability 
The improved connectivity of Europass with other EU tools is one of the major 
changes.  For  example,  the  European  Classification  of  Occupations  and  Skills 
(ESCO) is used by the Europass platform for entering work experience and building 
a skills or interests profile. The Europass and EURES platforms have been linked 
together  and  can  exchange  information  (job  vacancies  and  applications).  The 
Qualifications  Dataset  Register  (QDR)  has  become  a  Europass  component. 
Furthermore, information on the European Qualification Framework (EQF)33 has 
been integrated into the platform. 

32 An open standard is a standard that is openly accessible and usable by anyone. 

33 OJ C 189, 15.6.2017, p. 15, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-

content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32017H0615%2801%29. 

12 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The  EQF  aims  to  make  qualifications  more  transparent  and  comparable  and 
therefore  portable  across  borders,  helping  workers,  learners  and  employers.  The 
framework has eight levels based on learning outcomes and makes it possible to 
compare  all  types  and  levels  of  qualifications  across  institutions  and  national 
borders. 

•  Management and governance 

-  Member States were given additional responsibilities in the management of 
Europass.  Under  the  2018  Europass  Decision,  Member  States  are  now 
required to: 

▪  coordinate activities related to the implementation of Europass web-

based tools; 

▪  promote  the  use  and  strengthen  awareness  and  the  visibility  of 

Europass; 

▪  promote  and  provide  information  on  guidance  services  on 
transnational learning mobility and career management, including, 
where appropriate, individual guidance; 

▪  publish  information  on  learning  opportunities,  qualifications  and 
recognition  practices  on  Europass,  including  through  links  to 
relevant national websites; 
involve  stakeholders  from  all  relevant  sectors  and  promote 
cooperation among public and private stakeholders in the activities 
under their responsibility. 

▪ 

-  Based on decisions of certain countries, some of these activities are carried 
out by National Europass Centres (NECs), which provide user support and 
promote skills and qualifications documentation. 

-  An  advisory  group  was  created  to  oversee  the  implementation  of  the 
Decision. The Europass Advisory Group is an EU-level consultative body 
composed  of  stakeholders  from  EU  Member  States,  including  social 
partners and civil society representatives. The group’s remit is to develop a 
strategic  approach  to  the  implementation  of  Europass  and  advise  on  the 
development  of  web-based  tools,  including  through  testing,  and  on 
information provided through the Europass online platform. 

Many of the Europass  tools, services and information have been made available on the 
Europass platform when it was launched in July 2020. Certain major tools have been added 
after the July 2020 launch, like the European Digital Credentials for Learning (released in 
October 2021), the Digital Skills Self-assessment tool (December 2021) and the Jobs & 
Skill  Trends  tool  (June  2023).  In  parallel,  the  platform  has  been  regularly  updated  to 
improve accessibility for users, the profile, CV and Cover Letter builders, the design and 
templates  for  CVs  and  Cover  Letters,  the  Application  manager  functionality,  the 
Recommender  system  for  jobs  and  courses  (learning  opportunities),  the  search 
functionality  for  qualifications  and  learning  opportunities  and  job  opportunities,  page 
navigation  and  information  pages.  Lastly,  the  Commission  has  been  preparing  the  next 

13 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
steps for Europass, which involve using more artificial intelligence and data analysis, to 
improve its services for end users. The goal is to better match profiles, skills, qualifications 
and  interests  to  jobs,  courses  and  other  opportunities.  This  work  aims  primarily  at 
improving the jobs and course recommendations using data science and focuses on user 
behaviour and other aspects, for example, links between qualifications and skills. 

3.2. 

Implementation  of  the  Europass  Decision  by  the  Commission  and  Member 
States 

The tasks assigned to the Commission to implement the Europass Decision are set out in 
Article 6 of the Decision and described below. 

Table 1 – Assessment of the tasks carried out by the European Commission for the implementation of the 
Europass Decision. 

Tasks set out in the Europass Decision  

Evidence on the degree of implementation  

Manage the Europass online platform by: 

Ensuring the availability and high quality of EU-level 
information or links. 

The Commission provides and regularly updates 
relevant information on the platform and ensures 
links with other portals and services. The overall 
level of user satisfaction with such information is 
high. 

Developing, testing and, when necessary, updating the 
Europass online platform, including open standards, in 
line with user needs and technological advancements, 
as  well  as  changes  in  labour  markets  and  in  the 
provision of education and training. 

A Europass testing approach has been developed by 
the Commission. The Europass Advisory Group has 
been set up to advise on the development of 
Europass, which can include testing the different 
features of the platform.  

Keeping  up  to  date  with  and  incorporate,  where 
relevant, the latest technological developments that can 
improve the accessibility of Europass for older persons 
and persons with disabilities. 

Ensuring  that  any  development  or  update  to  the 
Europass  online  platform,  including  open  standards, 
supports consistency of information and demonstrates 
clear added value. 

Accessibility tests have flagged accessibility issues 
across the platform. New solutions have been 
implemented to improve accessibility although the 
platform is still not fully accessible for persons with 
disabilities. An update to the platform with technical 
improvements (release nr 1.9) was implemented in 
January 2023. The new version is expected to 
improve accessibility levels.  

Information on the platform is consistent across the 
different web pages and tools. The platform is 
regularly updated to include new technical 
developments. The new platform has integrated a 
number of tools and services in one digital 
environment, representing a concrete solution for 
standardising information about skills, qualifications 
and competences at EU level. 

Ensuring that any web-based tools, in particular tools 
for assessment and self-assessment, are fully tested and 
quality assured. 

Testing is a standard part of IT development. Every 
release is tested at many levels (from factory and 
user acceptance to ‘sanity checks’) before its launch 
according to the relevant standards. 

Ensuring  the  quality  of  the  Europass  online  platform 
and  monitoring  its  effectiveness,  including  ensuring 
that web-based tools are in line with user needs. 

On monitoring effectiveness, no specific 
monitoring arrangements and indicators have 
been set up. 

14 

 
 
 
Implement the Europass Decision by: 

Ensuring  the  active  participation  and  involvement  of 
Member States in strategic planning, including setting 
and steering strategic objectives, quality assurance and 
financing, taking due regard of their positions. 

On user needs, since the launch of the new Europass, 
National Europass Centres (NECs) and the Europe 
Direct Contact Centres have been the main channels 
to interact with Europass end users. Feedback has 
been regularly monitored, and some suggestions 
have been implemented or are due to be 
implemented.  

Europass Advisory Group meetings as well as 
different project groups among NECs are regularly 
organised by the Commission. The project groups 
are designed to address specific issues faced by the 
NECs to ensure the effective implementation of 
Europass. NECs are coordinated by the Commission 
within the Europass community in regular meetings, 
webinars and discussions. The Commission collects 
feedback and shares information with them (via 
surveys and during meetings) to improve the 
platform. 

Ensuring  the  active  participation  and  involvement  of 
Member  States  in  the  development,  testing,  updating 
and  evaluation  of  the  Europass  online  platform, 
including  open  standards,  taking  due  regard  of  their 
positions. 

The Advisory Group and National Europass Centres 
participate in these tasks. The Advisory Group 
reviews and agrees on the concept, progress and 
implementation of Europass and ensures synergies. 
NECs test pilot new web-based tools and services.  

Ensure that, at EU level, stakeholders are involved in 
the  implementation  and  evaluation  of  the  Europass 
Decision. 

Setting  up 
learning  activities  and  best  practice 
exchanges  between  Member  States  and,  where 
appropriate, facilitating peer counselling at the request 
of Member States. 

Ensuring  that  effective  and  adequate  promotion, 
guidance and information activities are carried out at 
EU  level  in  order  to  reach  relevant  users  and 
stakeholders, including persons with disabilities. 

Source: External supporting study by Kantar 

EU-level stakeholders have been included in the 
implementation and evaluation of the Europass 
Decision. Those include EU-level NGOs, trade and 
business associations, trade unions and EU 
institutions and agencies, such as Cedefop, and EU 
initiatives such as EURES and ESCO. 

As part of the evaluation, EU-level stakeholders 
were consulted through scoping interviews during 
the inception phase as well as targeted stakeholder 
interviews. 

Stakeholders have been involved in the 
implementation of the Europass Decision through 
the work and discussions of the Europass Advisory 
Group and through cooperation with the NECs. 

The Advisory Group was set up for this purpose and 
to accelerate best practice exchanges. The 
Commission organises regular webinars for NECs to 
share best practices. In addition, different project 
groups have been set up by the Commission (e.g. 
Project Group on Learning Opportunities and the 
new Project Group on Europass Mobility, which 
started its work in January 2023) 

A communication strategy has been developed at EU 
level and covers two dimensions (EU and national 
levels). Following the launch of the 2020 Europass 
platform, specific targeted actions have been set for 
the three main categories of audience (users, 
education and training providers and employers). 

15 

 
 
Under Article 7 of the Europass Decision, Member States are responsible for the following 
implementation tasks to be carried out by the relevant national services: 

• 

• 

• 

coordinating activities related to the implementation of Europass web-based tools; 
promoting the use and raising awareness and the visibility of Europass; 
promoting  and  providing  information  on  guidance  services  on  transnational 
learning mobility and career management, including, where appropriate, individual 
guidance; 

•  making  information  on  learning  opportunities,  qualifications  and  recognition 
practices  available  on  the  Europass  online  platform,  including  through  links  to 
relevant national websites;  
involving stakeholders from all relevant sectors and promoting cooperation among 
public and private stakeholders in the activities under their responsibility. 

• 

Member States implement the tasks set out in the Europass Decision mainly through the 
National  Europass  Centres  (NECs),  which  already  existed  before  the  2018  Europass 
Decision. NECs are designated at national level; they operate independently and are co-
financed through grants. They support users and promote the documenting of skills and 
qualifications through Europass. Overall, NECs focus on the operational and promotional 
support of Europass, contributing to its national outreach and connecting it to individual 
users  and  their  needs.  Between  2018  and  2020,  most  Member  States  focused  on 
coordinating the activities linked to the implementation of new tools and reaching out to 
stakeholders. NECs also put significant effort into raising the awareness of Europass and 
providing guidance on mobility and careers to end users. Work programmes for 2021-2023 
show  that  NECs’  focus  was  mainly  on  promoting  Europass,  providing  guidance  and 
involving stakeholders. An updated assessment of Member States’ implementation from 
2021 to 2023 will be possible once the final activity reports for that period are produced. 

As regards the implementation of the platform’s tools, most Member States contributed to 
gathering  user  feedback  to  pass  on  to  the  Commission.  A  slightly  smaller  number  of 
countries tested different tools and services (most tests involved the traditional tools: CV, 
Europass Diploma Supplement, Europass Certificate Supplement and Europass Mobility). 
Moreover, a third of NECs carried out pilot tests, which mainly concerned digitally signed 
credentials that were developed between March 2019 and October 2021, when EDCs were 
officially launched.  In addition to the NECs, many organisations in the Member States 
and  Europass  countries  participated  in  the  European  Digital  Credentials  for  Learning 
(EDC) pilot. 

All Member States contributed to the promotion of Europass. Although conferences and 
the distribution of promotional material (i.e. booklets, leaflets, merchandising) are still the 
most common communication  methods  used by  all countries, the COVID-19 pandemic 
saw  online  events  and  social  media  used  as  additional  promotional  tools.  Furthermore, 
seminars, fairs and mutual learning activities, such as peer exchanges, are common across 
countries. All countries are committed to promoting Europass, however target groups vary 
slightly across them. In general, most countries targeted students, jobseekers, employers 
and education and training providers, with young people being the biggest target group. 

16 

 
 
 
Older  people  were  not  directly  targeted  by  any  country.  Moreover,  six  countries 
implemented  activities  targeting  migrants  and  refugees  to  promote  Europass  tools  and 
services, aiming to integrate this group into education or the labour market (Spain, Ireland, 
Italy, Luxembourg, Latvia and Sweden). 

NECs delivered several services providing guidance mainly on career management, while 
guidance  on  transnational  learning  mobility  was  mentioned  less  in  the  NECs’  activity 
reports.  In  most  countries,  the  responsibility  for  guidance  services  under  the  Europass 
Decision lies with the Euroguidance centre34 and, specifically for employment, the EURES 
network.  These  services  included  creating  materials  (manuals  and  guidelines)  and 
organising  events,  such  as  career  days,  with  HR  professionals  advising  on  CVs,  cover 
letters and job applications. Some NECs managed to reach out to private organisations that 
provide career-related services. 

NECs  promoted  cooperation  among  various  public  stakeholders  at  EU,  national  and 
regional  levels.  Most  NEC  teams  also  cooperate  with  the  corresponding  national 
Euroguidance, EQF National Contact Points and Erasmus+ teams to achieve better results 
in stakeholder reach and impact. At EU level, NECs have put in place a regular dialogue 
with  Euroguidance,  EQF,  EQAVET,  EURES  and  Eurodesk  to  integrate  strategic 
objectives  and  exchange  experience.  Cooperation  at  national  level  included  organising 
knowledge-sharing  events  with  a  wide  variety  of  bodies  (associations  of  guidance 
counsellors,  universities,  sector  committees,  education  providers).  Only  11  NECs 
mentioned cooperation with private national organisations. 

On  providing  information  on  learning  opportunities,  qualifications  and  recognition 
practices, qualifications databases are often managed by EQF National Contact Points or 
qualifications  agencies,  and  learning  opportunity  databases  are  managed  by  different 
national  organisations.  Euroguidance  can  be  responsible  for  connecting  learning 
opportunity databases with Europass. Not all countries provided information on learning 
opportunities  and  qualifications35.  By  early  2023,  10  countries36  had  published  data  on 
learning opportunities, and three countries37 were testing the Qualifications Data Register 
(QDR).  As  regards  qualifications,  19  countries38  had  published  data  on  the  Europass 
platform,  and  one  country  (Croatia) is  in  the  preparatory  phase  before  connecting  their 
database  with  Europass.  For  both  learning  opportunities  and  qualifications,  there  is  a 
mapping tool (the Qualifications Dataset Register) to process information shared with the 

34 Euroguidance is the European network of national resource and information centres for guidance. 

35 To support Member States and Europass countries, a dedicated project group on the publication of 
learning opportunities on Europass was set up. It started running in October 2021. Training sessions on 
how to publish information in the QDR were organised in November and December 2021. 

36 Belgium (nl), France, Greece, Norway, Malta, Portugal, Iceland, Ireland, Serbia, Sweden. 

37 Croatia, Slovenia, Germany. 

38 Belgium (fr, nl), Austria, Czechia, Germany, Estonia, Greece, France, Ireland, Lithuania, Latvia, Malta, 

Netherlands, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden, Iceland, Türkiye. 

17 

 
 
Europass platform. However, this is not the case for information on recognition practices 
– Europass links to the ENIC-NARIC39 website. 

39The  ENIC/NARIC  network  is  a  network  of  national  centres  set  up  to  directly  support  institutions  and 
citizens  with  the  recognition  of  academic  qualifications.    ENIC-NARIC  -  gateway  to  recognition  of 
qualifications 

18 

 
 
 
 
4.  EVALUATION FINDINGS (ANALYTICAL PART) 

4.1.  To what extent was the intervention successful and why? 

This  chapter  assesses  to  what  extent  Europass  tools  and  services  address  the  policy 
objectives  in  an  effective,  efficient  and  coherent  way.  The  objectives  are  set  out  in  the 
Decision  and  further  detailed  in  the  intervention  logic  (see  Figure  10  in  Annex  II). 
Moreover, reasons for the success of Europass as well as possible limitations are identified. 

4.1.1 Effectiveness 

The  general  objective  of  Europass  is  to  establish  a  comprehensive  and  interoperable 
European  framework  that  supports  the  transparency  and  understanding  of  skills  and 
qualifications experience, in particular for transnational employment and learning mobility 
purposes40.  Three  specific  objectives  contribute  to  this  overall  aim  (please  see  section  
2.1.2.2 Objectives). 

This section reviews Europass achievements with respect to these objectives together with 
the  impact  of  communication  and  promotion.  It  also  looks  at  action  to  support  the 
accessibility  and  user-friendliness  of  the  platform,  contributing  to  the  effectiveness  of 
Europass. 

4.1.1.1 Better integrating services for learners, jobseekers, workers, volunteers, employers 
and education and training providers to communicate skills and competences, with 
a focus on disadvantaged groups 

4.1.1.1.1 Europass evolved from a document-based website into a one-stop-shop 

The new  Europass  platform is  a service-based one-stop  solution,  which  brings together 
relevant EU tools and services to help its users communicate skills and competences. 

The Commission’s decision to prioritise the development of existing tools to ensure the 
continuity of Europass services has had a positive impact on the effective implementation 
of the new platform. This is because some of the tools and services, such as the CV and 
Cover  Letter  editor,  were  already  in  place  before  the  platform’s  launch.  Stronger 
interoperability  also  helped 
cooperation  with  other  EU 
implementation. Examples include interoperability with EURES for the provision of job 
opportunities on the platform and collaboration with Cedefop for making EQF and NQF 
comparison tools available on Europass. The Jobs & Skill Trends tool41, released in June 
2023, is expected to further strengthen the integration process of the platform with other 
initiatives and data sources. 

to  ensure 

initiatives 

40 See Europass Decision (recitals 9 and 34) and the Europass intervention logic (Figure 10 in Annex II). 

41 The Jobs & Skill Trends tool was referred to as "Skills Intelligence tool" during the development phase. 

19 

 
 
 
However,  some  of  the  information  on  the  Europass  platform  is  not  yet  complete 
(information  on  qualifications  and  on  learning  opportunities).  Learning  opportunity 
databases do not exist in all Member States, and in most countries, several databases co-
exist (different databases for higher education, PES training, initial VET, etc.). This creates 
complexity  when  linking  the  databases  with  Europass.  In  this  context,  the  Europass 
platform is not yet fully connected in the area of education and training, and therefore it 
has not yet reached its full potential when it comes to providing as many opportunities as 
possible for learning in Europe. A dedicated project group was set up to clarify the scope 
of learning opportunities to share on Europass, and the work concluded in autumn 2022. 
This work should support countries in the publication process. Technical support is often 
needed  and  is  currently  provided  by  the  Commission.  The  Commission  also  made  it 
possible to delegate publishing learning opportunities to more than one organisation in a 
Member  State  since  several  organisations  need  to  be  involved.  Some  countries  require 
funding to create a database and/or be interoperable with Europass. 

Providing a one-stop-shop was mentioned in all stakeholder interviews carried out as part 
of the supporting study as one of the most positive outcomes of the new Europass. End 
users who were surveyed valued the possibility of accessing different tools and services 
on one platform. 

4.1.1.1.2 Europass retains users and attracts new users 

Several sources of evidence suggest that Europass users continue to use the platform and 
that new users are attracted to the platform. 

According  to  the  results  of  the  user  and  non-user  surveys  conducted  as  part  of  the 
supporting study, it can be estimated that the majority (62%) of current registered Europass 
users, amounting to 4.5 million users at the time of the surveys, already used the platform 
before the launch of the new Europass on 1 July 2020. 

The results of the surveys of education and training providers and employers also indicates 
that most respondents who were using Europass at the time were also doing so before 2020 
(56% of education and training providers and 53% of employers). 

Platform data shows a substantial increase in the number of registered users after the launch 
of the new platform (Figure 7). This suggests continuity and a retention of users as well as 
effectiveness  in  reaching  new  target  audiences.  An  average  of  around  150 000  profiles 
were  created  every  month  between  July  2020  and  December  2022.  There  was  a  slight 
decline in the number of new Europass profiles (i.e. new registered users) in 2022. This 
could be linked to the fact that most users of the previous platform had already created 
their profiles in 2020 and 2021, therefore it could be assumed that the number of profiles 
created in 2022 were new users. Moreover, there was a recent decrease in the number of 
new  profiles  linked  to  the  introduction  of  two-factor  authentication  in  October  2022. 
However, the overall positive trend leads to the conclusion that the Europass platform is 
effective in attracting new users, which targeted communication and promotion activities 
certainly contributed to (see Section 4.1.1.4 Europass communication and outreach). 

20 

 
Figure 7 – Annual number of new profiles (new registered users) created on the new Europass platform 

Source: External supporting study by Kantar – Europass user statistics. *For 2020, the grey colour 
indicates that only new profiles created after July are taken into account (when the new platform 
launched). Data for the full year is in blue for 2021 and 2022. 

Since the launch of the new platform in 2020, the number of visits to the platform has also 
increased  significantly.  These  are  all  visits  to  the  platform,  including  registered  users 
accessing  e-Portfolios  and  profiles  and  non-registered  users  (who  can  also  use  certain 
Europass  services).  Between  1 July  2020  and  31 January  2023,  the  Europass  platform 
received  approximately  32.4  million  unique  visitors42  and  more  than  261  million  page 
views across 58.8 million sessions. This  is a sharp increase compared to  the number of 
page visits  on the previous platform.  As demonstrated  in  Figure 17, the increase in  the 
number of page visits of the previous platform had never exceeded 10 million visits over 
a period of 3 years between 2005 and 2019. The analysis of the platform data concludes 
that there has been a relatively stable trend in the number of monthly unique visitors since 
the launch of the new platform in 2020, with approximately 1.23 million average unique 
visitors per month (Figure 8). 

42  A  unique  visitor  is  anyone  that  visits  the  platform  from  a  specific  IP  address  (not  necessarily  with  a 
Europass profile). Unique visitors are only counted once, even if they visit the platform through different 
profiles (e.g. profiles in different languages). 

21 

 
 
 
 
 
Figure 8 – Number of unique visitors per month (August 2020 to January 2023) 

Source: External support study by Kantar – based on Europa Web Analytics data 

4.1.1.1.3 Differences in the uptake of Europass tools and services  

The user and non-user survey show that there are differences in the uptake of Europass 
tools  and  services.  The  Europass  CV  and  Cover  Letter  are  the  best  known  and  most 
frequently used Europass tools as confirmed by all the research tools. Most Europass users 
(76%) use the CV and Cover Letter often (38%) or sometimes (38%). 

Europass tools and services are generally perceived as useful. The majority of the public 
consultation respondents (at least 80%) find the tools and services useful or very useful, 
whereas they appreciate most the Europass CV (90%). They consider particularly useful 
the tools that they are most familiar with (see Figure 14, specifying the level of usefulness 
of the different Europass tools and services). 

Tools  and  services  that  are  used  less  frequently  are  the  tracking  of  applications, 
Supplement  templates,  the  Digital  skills  self-assessment  tool  and  the  European  Digital 
Credentials for Learning (respectively 37%, 31%, 28% and 28% of Europass users used 
these tools often or sometimes, according to the user and non-user survey). The platform’s 
tools are different in nature and have slightly different target groups, which may explain 
the differences in use. 

However,  respondents  to  the  public  consultation  acknowledged  that  European  Digital 
Credentials  for  Learning  increase  the  visibility  of  skills  as  well  as  their  comparability, 
which should boost an individual’s employability. Employers and education and training 
providers  benefit  from  receiving  trustworthy  credentials  and  a  proof  of  candidates  and 
learners’ skills, qualifications and learning outcomes. 

Furthermore, around a third of the surveyed users indicated that they use the platform to 
find information on qualifications frameworks (36% often or sometimes), job opportunities 
(33% often or sometimes) and guidance and lifelong learning (32% often or sometimes). 

Among employers who responded to the survey, 66% are aware of Europass and 44% use 
it.  For  education  and  training  providers,  this  is  66%  and  40%,  respectively.  These 

22 

 
 
stakeholders  mainly  use  Europass  as  a  tool  to  support  mobility  in  the  EU  and  present 
knowledge, skills and competences in a standardised way. 

Among  education  and  training  providers  who  responded  to  the  survey,  69%  have  used 
Europass within the last 3 years. Most of them provide diplomas and certificates (63%; 62 
out  of  98);  however,  Europass  supplements  and  digital  credentials  are  issued  by  their 
organisations more rarely (the supplements are issued by less than one third, and digital 
credentials are issued by 14%). So far, only 15% of those education and training providers 
surveyed indicated their intention to issue digital credentials in the future. 

Public  institutions  have  also  made  extensive  use  of  Europass,  in  particular  when 
implementing the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) Council Recommendation. 
All  but  three43  EQF  “referencing  reports”  (resulting  from  the  process  of  referencing  of 
National Qualifications Frameworks or systems to the EQF) mention using Europass tools 
and services to help recognise and validate learning outcomes, qualifications and skills at 
national  level.  The  Europass  Supplements  (Diploma  Supplement  and  Certificate 
Supplements)  are  also  used  to  document  NQF  and  EQF  levels.  Moreover,  in  the 
Commission’s Mobility Scoreboard44, all countries refer to some of the Europass tools and 
services. ReferNet45 also makes references to the Certificate Supplement. 

Public  institutions  have  used  Europass  to  improve  the  transparency  of  skills  and 
qualifications and to document mobility outcomes under Erasmus+. The analysis of the 
Mobility Scoreboard46 showed that Europass Mobility47 is widely used at national level to 
recognise and validate learning mobility taking place as part of Erasmus+. 

In  this  context,  for  education  and  training  as  well  as  the  transparency  of  skills  and 
qualifications, Europass remains more relevant to institutions than to individuals because 
the learning opportunities available have not yet reached their full potential. Information 
on learning opportunities and qualifications is not fully complete as some Member States 
and Europass countries have not started sharing the relevant information. 

43 France, Serbia, Kosovo*.  

*This  designation  is  without prejudice  to position on  status,  and  is  in  line  with  UNSC  1244  and  the  ICJ 

Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence. 

44 The Commission’s Mobility Scoreboard provides a framework for monitoring progress made by European 
countries  in  creating  a  positive  environment  supporting  learner  mobility.  It  contains  scoreboard 
indicators in the area of higher education and initial vocational education and training. See  Mobility 
Scoreboard (europa.eu). 

45 ReferNet is a network of institutions created by Cedefop to provide information on national VET systems 

and policies in EU Member States, Iceland and Norway. See ReferNet | CEDEFOP (europa.eu). 

46 Mobility Scoreboard and respective country fiches from 2017 and 2021, retrieved in November  2022 at 

Country fiches | CEDEFOP (europa.eu):. 

47 Europass Mobility is a document which helps individuals to showcase skills acquired during an experience 

abroad in a simple, consistent and understandable manner. 

23 

 
 
The  evaluation  supporting  study  added  that  ‘interviews  with  EU-level  policymakers48 
confirmed that the Europass framework is particularly important when being linked with 
the existing EU mobility programmes. Embedding the Europass tools and services in the 
existing  programmes  facilitates  targeted  uptake  by  stakeholders  involved  in  these 
programmes – education and training providers, youth organisations, social partners and 
policymakers’. 

4.1.1.2 Supporting the mobility of individuals for work and educational opportunities in 

the EU 

The  new  Europass  platform  provides  unique  tools  and  services  supporting  individuals’ 
labour and learning mobility in the EU and facilitating cross-border standardisation. The 
web-based tools include the multilingual CV, supplement templates, Europass Mobility, a 
self-assessment tool for digital skills and the European Digital Credentials for Learning. 
These allow users to present personal information and document their skills, qualifications 
and learning outcomes in a standardised European format in up to 31 languages. Moreover, 
the  platform  provides  information  on  job  and  learning  opportunities,  qualifications  and 
qualifications  frameworks  (including  a  qualifications  framework  comparison  tool)  and 
country  specific  information,  thereby  facilitating  mobility  for  career  and  educational 
purposes. 

Replies to the user and non-user survey showed that individuals were more likely to use 
the  Europass  CV  when  they  had  participated  in  a  mobility  experience  abroad,  such  as 
working, studying or a mobility exchange. 

Interviews with EU and national stakeholders showed that they mostly perceive Europass 
as a platform that supports mobility for work and educational opportunities in the EU by 
providing access to tools and services. In this context, there needs to be more integration 
of such opportunities shared by Member States in Europass. This will help the platform to 
fully achieve its goals in the area of education and training as well as the transparency of 
skills and qualifications and to become more relevant to the public. EU level interviewees 
also  found  that  Europass  supports  the  implementation  of  other  European  policies  and 
priorities (e.g. EU mobility programmes, such as Erasmus+). 

The most used language in profiles is English (35% of profiles), which also points to active 
labour mobility across borders among Europass users. However, it could also suggest that 
international companies recruit local candidates using English as the recruiting language. 
Further information on language profiles can be found in Section 4.1.1.5. 

The evidence above supports the conclusion that Europass is an effective tool supporting 
mobility across the EU and a solution for presenting knowledge, skills and competences 
in a standardised way. 

48 Representatives of the Commission and EU agencies. 

24 

 
 
4.1.1.3 Fostering a common framework for the transparency and recognition of skills and 

qualifications among Member States. 

One  of  the  specific  objectives  of  Europass  is  to  foster  a  common  framework  for  the 
transparency  and  recognition  of  skills  and  qualifications  among  Member  States.  This 
means that skills and qualifications from other countries are easier to understand, compare 
and are more visible, which leads to improved recognition of these skills and qualifications.  

In the Europass intervention logic (Figure 10 in Annex II), the expected results stemming 
from this specific objective are: (i) better transparency and comparability of qualifications, 
skills  and  competences;  (ii)  a  greater  understanding  of  skills  and  qualifications  (in 
particular  the  learning  outcomes  and  achievements  of  formal,  non-formal  and  informal 
learning,  including  those  acquired  through  mobility);  and  (iii)  standardised  digital 
certificates  for  skills  and  qualifications  (in  particular  with  the  Europass  document 
templates and the digitally signed credentials). 

Europass  fosters this  common framework for  the  transparency and recognition  of skills 
and  qualifications  by  hosting  a  set  of  European  transparency  tools:  the  European 
Qualifications Framework (EQF) tools and information, the databases of qualifications and 
learning opportunities, the Europass supplements and the European Digital Credentials for 
Learning. 

The European Qualifications Framework referencing reports are presented on the Europass 
platform,  and  a  specific  European  Qualifications  Framework  to  National  Qualifications 
Frameworks (NQFs) comparison tool was designed for Europass users. The EQF and NQF 
levels are all part of Europass documents, including the CV editor and Europass profiles. 
Furthermore, the supporting study states that ‘the analysis of the EQF referencing reports 
showed that national authorities are using the Europass tools to standardise the presentation 
of skills and qualifications at the national level’. 

The visibility of skills and qualifications on the Europass platform facilitates comparability 
between countries, a feature mostly used by professionals. 

Surveyed education and training providers who had used Europass to retrieve information 
on qualifications frameworks and the EQF were either very satisfied (18%) or somewhat 
satisfied (36%). Among individuals (respondents to the user and non-user survey) who had 
used Europass to retrieve information about qualifications frameworks and the EQF were 
either very satisfied (40%) or satisfied (37%) with the information. 

The publication of learning opportunities and qualifications information also contributes 
to  the  transparency  and  common  understanding  of  skills  and  qualifications  in  Europe. 
However,  as  mentioned  in  Section  3.2,  the  information  is  not  complete  as  only  some 
countries have provided  it to Europass. According to the interviews at EU and national 
levels  with  NECs,  there  is  a  lack  of  pertinent  data  on  learning  opportunities  and 
qualifications. They consider that this missing and incomplete information affects people’s 
perception of Europass, considering it to be limited and fragmented. More effort is required 

25 

 
by Member States to make learning opportunities and qualifications available on Europass, 
which would help the platform reach its full potential. 

The  Europass  Supplements  set  out  a  common  structure  and  template  for  diploma 
supplements,  certificate  supplements,  and  Europass  Mobility.  The  templates  of  each 
document  used  in  Europass  countries  are  all  accessible  on  the  Europass  platform.  The 
supplements  make  it  easier  for  e.g.  employers  or  education  and  training  providers  to 
understand qualifications and their learning outcomes. They are usually available in the 
original language of the qualification and other useful languages (in most cases at least 
English). Thanks to their standardised format in presenting learning outcomes and learning 
achievements  (for  the  diploma  supplement),  they  improve  the  transparency  and 
comparability of qualifications in an international context. 

As for the European Digital Credentials for Learning, users consider that the standards and 
tools improve the transparency and recognition of skills and qualifications. The supporting 
evaluation  study  concludes  that  ‘further  uptake  of  the  European  Digital  Credentials  for 
Learning  will  strengthen  Europass  efforts  in  fostering  a  common  framework’  for  the 
transparency of skills and qualifications (see Figure 21 with an overview of the number of 
EDCs issued). In the public consultation, 48% and 36% of the respondents considered the 
European Digital Credentials for Learning to be either very useful or useful, respectively. 

4.1.1.4 Europass communication and outreach 

4.1.1.4.1 Europass communication and collaboration with other EU initiatives 

Since  the  launch  of  the  new  platform,  communication  activities  are  targeted  at  specific 
groups (end users, stakeholders and facilitators) as set out in the Europass communication 
strategy  developed  by  the  Commission.  The  Commission  developed  communication 
products  (such  as  the  Europass  brand,  a  promotional  toolkit,  leaflets,  infographics  and 
factsheets, videos, social media products and press material) and put them at the disposal 
of the NECs. The Commission created synergies with other EU initiatives in the area of 
education and training, youth and labour mobility (e.g. Eurodesk, EURES and Erasmus+) 
in order to multiply messages and reach out to their respective target audiences. Other EU 
communication channels included the Europass platform and the Commission’s website 
and social media channels. 

At  national  level,  NECs  have  used  online  events  and  social  media  campaigns  as 
promotional tools since the launch of the new platform. They targeted students, jobseekers, 
employers and education and training providers, with young people at the centre of their 
communication  efforts.  Other  communication  activities  included  conferences,  fairs, 
seminars, mutual learning activities and the distribution of promotional materials. 

According to the supporting study, these activities resulted in end users and stakeholders 
successfully engaging with Europass. Communication activities have been mainly carried 
out on social media channels since the launch of the platform in 2020 during the COVID-
19 pandemic. 

26 

 
 
End users’ engagement on social media channels differed in terms of volume of Europass 
mentions, frequency and content shared. Social media analysis showed that three platforms 
(Facebook, Twitter and Instagram)  accounted for 68% of the online conversation about 
Europass. 

The  supporting  study  states  that  ‘according  to  Digimind49,  between  January  2020  and 
November 2022, the topic of ‘Europass’ received a total of 27 726 mentions across all 12 
sources screened50. Social media posts about Europass were produced by both user and 
institutional  accounts,  reaching  more  than  2.4  million  people  and  obtaining  257 414 
interactions.’ 

Figure 9 shows the number of social media posts about Europass between January 2020 
and November 2022. The conversations about Europass peaked around major events or 
updates to the Europass platform (e.g. in July 2020 when the new platform was launched). 
Moreover,  the  mentions  sharply  increased  in  January  2022,  reaching  1 767  posts  that 
month, shortly after the launch of the new Digital skills self-assessment tool in December 
2021. Social media posts increased again after Europass became available in Ukrainian in 
May  2022  to  support  those  fleeing  the  war  in  Ukraine.  In  addition,  more  structured 
collaboration  amongst  the  NECs  regarding  social  media  presence  started  in  September 
2021, which also had an impact on the number of Europass mentions. 

Figure 9 – Number of Europass mentions by month (2020-2022) (N= 27,726) 

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Source: External supporting study by Kantar – based on Digimind data. Social media data were collected 
using Digimind from 1 January 2020 to 30 November 2022 (35 months). 

4.1.1.4.2 Awareness of Europass 

According to the results of the three surveys of users and non-users, education and training 
providers, and employers, there is  a good level of awareness  about Europass.  This  also 
suggests that communication activities have been overall effective (see previous section). 

49 Online tool for tracking and analysing online conversations and trends. 

50 Facebook, Twitter, websites, Instagram, news, blogs, forums, videos, Tumblr, Weibo and reviews. 

27 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
As shown in the general population survey51 results, the share of respondents who have 
heard  about  Europass  is  53%  (2 137  out  of  4 040).  According  to  the  three  surveys 
conducted, platform data and the public consultation, the Europass CV is the most well-
known and widely used Europass tool. 

Based on the general population survey, 49% of people who were aware of Europass (1 041 
out of 2 137) associate the platform with the Europass CV template. 46% of them (978 out 
of  2 137)  perceive  Europass  as  a  platform  providing  different  tools  and  services  that 
support the transparency of skills and qualifications. 

Most employers who were surveyed (66% or 72 out of 109) were aware of Europass. 44% 
of those who were aware of Europass (32 out of 72) have used the platform at least once. 

As regards education and training providers who were surveyed, most respondents (66% 
or 65 out of 98) were aware of Europass. 40% of those who were aware of Europass (26 
respondents out of 64) have used the Europass platform or received documents generated 
using Europass. 

There are differences in awareness of the platform among countries. Based on the user-and 
non-user survey to the general population carried out in 10 countries, Portugal, Romania, 
and Croatia are the countries where awareness of Europass is the highest: 88%, 79% and 
77%  of  respondents  to  the  general  population  survey,  respectively,  were  aware  of 
Europass.  The  two  countries  where  Europass  is  known  less  according  to  the  general 
population survey are France and Germany (24% and 19% respectively). The study report 
suggests  that  the  different  levels  of  awareness  and  usage  of  Europass  could  be  due  to 
different degrees of institutional commitment across countries as well as the availability 
and use of alternative national tools. 

4.1.1.4.3 Geographic distribution of Europass users 

According to the supporting study, based on platform data and 2022 Eurostat statistics on 
the EU population, most Europass users from EU Member States are in Italy, Portugal and 
Romania  (in  total  numbers).  These  countries  also  host  higher  shares  of  users  when 
compared to the total population. The percentage of Europass profiles per country (out of 
the total population) for Portugal, Romania and Italy is 4.5%, 1,9% and 1.8% respectively. 
The Europass CV is mandatory for certain types of job applications in these three countries 
(for example, public sector jobs). There are also relatively high percentages of users (out 
of the total population) in Malta, Croatia, Slovenia and Latvia. Countries with relatively 
lower  percentages  of  Europass  profiles  (out  of  the  total  population)  include  Denmark, 
Sweden,  Germany,  the  Netherlands,  Poland,  France  and  Ireland.  Please  see  Figure  22 

51 As part of the supporting study data collection, end users and non-users were contacted in two different 
ways: through a survey to 4 040 people recruited from the general population of 10 selected countries 
(Germany, Spain, Greece, France, Croatia, Italy, Portugal, Poland, Romania, Sweden) and, on the other 
hand, from the users of the Europass platform (3 607 additional respondents). 

28 

 
 
“Share of Europass profiles across Member States over their total population” in Annex 
VII with further details for all Member States. 

4.1.1.5 Europass usage and accessibility 

4.1.1.5.1 Socio-demographic profile of Europass users 

Most Europass users are relatively young (72% are under 35 years). Almost half (44%) are 
aged between 25 and 35 and more than a quarter (28%) are under 24 years. Europass could 
therefore be further promoted to people aged over 35 as the tools and services offered on 
the platform also target this age group. 

There is a slight under-representation of women among Europass users. 44% of Europass 
users identify themselves as female, whereas 48% identify themselves as male, and 8% of 
users decided not to indicate their gender. 

With respect to education and training, only 7% of Europass users indicate an EQF level 
on  their  profile52.  Among  those  that  did,  10%  of  them  report  levels  between  1  and  3, 
whereas the remaining 90% indicate an EQF level of 4 or above. The most common EQF 
levels are 4 (22% of users), 6 (25%) and 7 (27%). 

Most Europass users have some level of work experience. Although 16% of users do not 
indicate  any  previous  work  experience,  84%  indicate  having  at  least  1  year  of  work 
experience.  Of  those  users  with  some  working  experience,  23%  have  up  to  2  years  of 
experience; 25% have between 2 and 5 years of work experience; 24% have between 6 and 
10 years of work experience; and 28% have more than 10 years of experience. 

In  terms  of  Europass  profile  languages,  the  most-used  language  is  English  (35%  of 
profiles),  followed  by  Italian,  Portuguese  and  Romanian  with  22%,  12%  and  6% 
respectively. The remaining languages are less represented (all below 6%). These findings 
are in line with the results of profiles per country, where Italy, Portugal and Romania have 
the highest shares of profiles (see section on Geographic distribution of Europass users). 

4.1.1.5.2 Accessibility and user-friendliness of the platform 

The Commission put an emphasis on the platform’s accessibility in the early stages of its 
development.  It  carried  out  an  accessibility  and  usability  test  before  the  launch  of  the 
platform in 2020 to check compliance with the Europa Web Guide53 and the Accessibility 
Directive 2016/2102. Several technical issues were identified that limited accessibility for 
people with motor, vision and cognitive disabilities. Some of them were addressed as part 
of different platform releases (such as keyboard and screen-reader accessibility issues). 

52 The EQF level is not a compulsory field in the Europass profile. 

53 The Europa Web Guide contains rules and guidelines that apply to European Commission websites, 

covering editorial, legal, technical, visual and contractual aspects 
https://commission.europa.eu/resources-partners/europa-web-guide_en  

29 

 
 
While  improvements  to  the  platform’s  accessibility  were  achieved  over  time,  the 
perceptions of end users and stakeholders draw a mixed picture. 

Half the stakeholders contributing to the public consultation (51%) believe that all groups 
of  users  can  easily  access  the  tools  and  services  on  the  Europass  platform.  Overall, 
stakeholders believe that the Europass platform can serve a diverse group of users (56%). 

Looking closer at the different categories of people, some limitations have been observed 
for some stakeholder groups. A lack of digital skills is seen as the main barrier in relation 
to accessibility (32% of the public consultation participants stated that the platform is not 
accessible at all or not  accessible for people with lower digital skills). One third (34%) 
considers that it is difficult for older people to use the platform; only 13% believe that this 
is the same for long-term unemployed people. As regards people with disabilities, only one 
third (30%) of stakeholders considered the platform to be inclusive. Some suggestions for 
improvement  include  the  development  of  more  features  for  people  who  are  blind, 
accessibility for keyboard users and optimisation of descriptive text supporting assistive 
technologies. 

Two thirds (65%) of the public consultation  participants considered that the platform is 
easy to use, while only 6% of respondents expressed concerns in this respect. However, 
respondents also raised issues about the complexity of the platform, which according to 
them makes the platform less user-friendly and intuitive (see Section 4.1.2.2 Simplification 
of the platform). 

When  looking  at  the  user  and  non-user  survey  results,  the  accessibility  and  user-
friendliness of Europass  tools are positively assessed by end users (see Figure  25). The 
Europass CV and Cover Letter appear to be the most accessible and user-friendly tools, 
followed by the Europass profile. 

4.1.2 Efficiency 

4.1.2.1 Evolution of the cost-effectiveness of Europass 

Since the entry into force of the 2018 Decision, the Commission has allocated EUR 21.6 
million to developing and implementing Europass. Starting with EUR 2.8 million in 2018, 
the yearly budget increased by nearly 50% in 2019 for the IT planning and development 
of the new platform. In 2020 the budget remained relatively stable (increasing by 2%), and 
in 2021 it almost doubled (by 91%) for the launch of the platform in July 2020 and the 
development of additional tools after the launch. Finally, in 2022 the Europass budget was 
reduced by almost 77% compared to 2021 as most tools had been developed. The European 
Digital Credentials for Learning infrastructure still requires some additional developments. 

Since its launch in July 2020, the platform has seen a rapid increase in adoption by end 
users. Assuming that costs remain stable in the coming years (which is likely due to the 
platform’s maturity and the completion of most tools), the significant growth in new users 
should guarantee a reduced cost per Europass profile in the long term. This would lead to 
a  long-term  improvement  in  cost-effectiveness  as  digital  platforms  tend  to  have  low 

30 

 
marginal  costs  for  additional  users.  Increased  cost-effectiveness  can  be  expected  in  the 
future as long as the number of new users continues to increase. 

The  average  cost  per  additional  user  profile  created  has  fluctuated  since  the  platform’s 
2020  launch.  The  current  cost  per  additional  profile  is  the  lowest  it  has  been  since  the 
launch given that it increased from EUR 2.63 in 2020 to EUR 4.45 in 2021 before dropping 
to EUR 1.22 in 2022. As users of the old platform have already moved to the new platform, 
future  growth  will  rely  more  on  new  users.  In  this  regard,  growth  will  most  probably 
remain positive but may slow, which could increase the cost per additional profile. 

The  efficiency  of  Europass  can  also  be  viewed  from  the  Commission’s  perspective  in 
managing the platform. An important aspect is the need to make the platform more user-
friendly in terms of simplicity (ease of use) and its technical performance (for example, 
making it easy to recover passwords or register as a new user). Stakeholders recognise that 
a lot of work has been put into improving the user-friendliness of Europass and that past 
technical issues have been addressed. This includes a significant reduction of bugs reported 
by  end  users  in  the  second  half  of  2022  and  first  half  of  2023.  However,  stakeholders 
believe that more focus should be put on fixing the platform’s technical issues rather than 
further developing new tools. This would help make the platform more functional, visible 
and easy to use. Otherwise, there is a risk that the Europass platform could become too 
complex and difficult to use. In addition, some of its basic components (CV, Cover Letter, 
etc.) could be ignored or become unusable. 

The  role  and  activities  of  Member  States  also  affect  Europass.  Many  countries  have 
assigned their Europass-related obligations set out in the 2018 Europass Decision to their 
respective National Europass Centres (NECs). The Decision significantly broadened the 
role of Member States. They have new tasks to reach out to the target audience and promote 
the  new  tools  and  services  at  national  level.  NECs’  responsibilities  and  tasks  were 
increased  without  a  corresponding  budget  increase,  which  could  be  seen  as  an 
improvement in cost-effectiveness. On the other hand, the varying output of the different 
NECs creates a less clear picture. Overall, the Commission granted around EUR 6 million 
to NECs for both periods before and after the platform’s launch in July 2020 (i.e. 2018-
2020 and 2021-2023). As a result, financial resources remained the same after the launch. 
Stakeholders and NECs expressed the need for more resources. NECs are also co-funded 
by the participating Europass countries.54 

Furthermore, Member States’ contribution to implementation has been mixed. Tools and 
services  require  input  and  contributions  from  Member  States,  such  as  the  pilot  of  the 
European  Digital  Credentials  for  Learning.  However,  there  have  been  differences  in 
participation by countries  and  the number of staff  allocated,  which  could  hamper  those 
tools’ efficiency in the future (other national stakeholders took part in the EDC pilot). 

54 The EU funding rate for the NECs grants can reach up to 75% of the project budget, notwithstanding some 

countries co-funding a higher share. 

31 

 
 
4.1.2.2 Simplification of the platform 

Another aspect of efficiency is simplifying the delivery of the platform’s services and tools. 
This means how easily and seamlessly users can access and navigate the tools and services 
without encountering major issues or difficulties. Europass has evolved from a web page 
providing downloadable templates into a service-based platform providing various tools 
and services under the Europass brand. Since July 2020, the Europass platform has been 
providing a number of web-based tools and information (see tables in Annex VI). While 
the Europass label is still very much associated with the Europass CV, the platform has 
reached a significant number of users in almost 3 years (close to 5 million in May 2023). 
These users, often directed to the platform by the Europass CV feature, can now discover 
the additional tools and services available. The increase in the number of users since the 
launch of the platform in July 2020 is expected to lead to economies of scale and efficiency 
gains  over  time.  This  is  because  digital  platforms  tend  to  have  low  marginal  costs  for 
additional users (as described in Section 4.1.2.1). 

There is a strong consensus on the value of the new platform, since it is one single digital 
environment, which in turn leads to simplifying the delivery of services. The vast majority 
of users welcome the additional services  available. The user experience of the platform 
could be considered positive and tools and services are easy to use: on average, only 19% 
of  users  have  experienced  difficulties  using  the  different  Europass  tools  and  services. 
However,  respondents  also  raised  issues  about  the  platform’s  complexity  (see  Section 
4.1.1.5), and participants using the platform for the first time found the Europass CV and 
Cover  Letter  easier  to  use  compared  to  other  tools  and  services.  The  main  difficulties 
encountered are due to: 

• 

• 

• 

authentication  issues,  especially  the  mandatory  two-factor  authentication,  which 
was necessary from October 2022 to April 2023 for registering and accessing the 
platform’s e-Portfolio;  
technical problems in developing the CV or cover letter (downloading, formatting 
or saving), navigating through the platform, tracking applications, filling in the My 
Skills and My Interests sections; 
the lack of practical information on how to use the European Digital Credentials 
for Learning, supplement templates and the digital skills self-assessment tool. 

The platform’s more regular users have reported a positive experience given that they are 
more familiar with the features of Europass tools and services. This familiarity seems to 
be the main reason why regular Europass users do not tend to encounter difficulties when 
using the platform. 

On  information  search,  users  seem  satisfied  with  the  platform  in  helping  them  find 
information on qualification frameworks and learning and job opportunities across Europe. 
Only a small share of users has issues finding information on qualification frameworks, 
learning and job opportunities (12% on average, with no significant difference across the 
three main types of information). 

32 

 
Lastly,  most  of  the  platform’s  other  stakeholders,  mainly  employers  and  education  and 
training  providers,  are  satisfied.  Only  3%  of  employers  have  faced  problems  using  the 
platform.  The  main  difficulties  encountered  by  education  and  training  providers  are 
navigating the platform to find information (22%) and a lack of practical information on 
using tools and services (19%). 

Overall, the creation of a one-stop-shop platform delivering tools and services for skills 
recognition  and transparency  has resulted in  a simplified user experience. It  has  helped 
users navigate the platform and discover, access and use its tools and services in a seamless 
and user-friendly way. 

4.1.2.3 Governance 

On  the  efficiency  of  the  Europass  governance  model  in  steering  Europass,  additional 
responsibilities  have  been  given  to  Member  States  under  the  2018  Europass  Decision. 
These are the coordination and promotion of Europass at the national level (see section 
3.1). 

Some of these activities are carried out by the NECs, which also provide user support and 
promote skills and qualifications documentation. 

As a result, Europass governance now has a more solid multi-level structure where roles 
and responsibilities are not only split between the Commission and Member States but also 
across multiple organisations. At EU level, an Advisory Group was created to oversee the 
implementation of Europass, bringing together all the parties involved. 

The Europass Advisory Group is an EU-level consultative body composed of stakeholders 
combining EU Member States, other Europass countries, EU social partners, civil society 
representatives and other public bodies at the EU and international level (Cedefop, Council 
of  Europe,  the  European  Training  Foundation  and  UNESCO).  Its  remit  is  to  develop  a 
strategic approach to the implementation of Europass and to advise on the development of 
web-based tools, including through testing, and information provided through the platform. 

The role of the Advisory Group is the following: 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

improving  the  communication  and  coordination  in  the  Europass  community, 
boosting collaboration among participating countries; 
advising the best  solutions  on  Europass  developments  (from a strategic  point of 
view rather than technical) while considering implications at national level; 
exchanging experience, peer learning and best practices across countries; 
looking for synergies to create with other policy initiatives at a strategic level;  
fostering  Europass  policymaking  at  EU  level  and  facilitating  international 
cooperation to improve the visibility and use of Europass. 

The Europass governance allows for a more efficient distribution of responsibilities: the 
Advisory Group reflects the views of all relevant parties and ensures a broad representation 
while the NECs can more effectively engage with users in their respective countries and 
support national implementation more efficiently. This broadened role of the NECs, which 

33 

 
is the structure closest to users, seems to reflect well the needs stemming from the new 
Europass in terms of assigning roles and responsibilities. 

However, differences among countries (in terms of governance structures, administrative 
decentralisation  and  political  commitments)  are  often  a  challenge  to  ensure  efficiency. 
Complexity arises from the NECs’ different governance structures as some of them operate 
within the Erasmus+ National Agencies, others refer to national ministries (of labour or 
education)  and  others  are  independent  bodies,  such  as  public  agencies  in  the  field  of 
education  and  qualifications.  NECs  are  aware  of  the  importance  of  keeping  national 
governance  structures  consistent  with  the  EU  structure.  In  addition,  Member  States  are 
putting  efforts  into  improving  the  governance  structures  that  steer  Europass  in  their 
countries. 

Furthermore,  this  multi-level  governance  structure  of  Europass  requires  effective 
exchanges  of  information  with  stakeholders  at  both  the  level  of  the  Europass  Advisory 
Group and the NECs to support implementation of Europass, including at national level. 
This system is considered a structured part of the Europass governance. It is important for 
promoting  better  communication  and  exchanges  of  information  and  good  practices. 
Suggestions  made  in  the  consultation  with  NECs  as  part  of  the  Europass  Evaluation 
include: 

• 

hosting  more  regular  meetings,  training  and  events  between  NECs  and  the 
Commission  on  an  agreed  schedule  and  covering  topics  such  as  the  European 
Digital Credentials for Learning and interoperability issues; 

•  more  timely  updates  on  upcoming  improvements  to  the  platform  and  new 

developments; 

•  more regular exchanges of information on statistics and analytics; 
•  more support to fix the platform’s technical issues;  
•  more coordination with  other networks (Eurodesk, Euroguidance, EQF-National 

Coordination Points). 

The new Europass governance since 2018 seems to be more efficient than before. This is 
due to the more solid multi-level structure and the wider distribution of responsibilities and 
tasks from the Commission to the Member States and across multiple organisations at EU 
and national level. 

4.1.3 Coherence 

The coherence criterion investigates how well policy measures works, both internally and 
externally. External coherence focuses on consistency with other EU action in the field of 
education,  skills,  digitalisation  and  employment.  As  regards  internal  coherence,  the 
evaluation  looks  mainly  at  how  well  the  Europass  activities  and  the  tools  and  services 
complement each other. 

Given its focus on employment and education and training, Europass mainly contributes 
to  policies  in  employment,  the  digital  transition,  education  and  training,  and  skills  and 
qualifications.  In  this  context,  Europass  and  its  activities  directly  support  the  European 

34 

 
Skills Agenda, the European Education Area, Europe’s Digital Decade and the European 
Pillar of Social Rights. 

In particular, the 2016 European Skills Agenda formed the basis for the adoption of the 
Europass proposal, and the 2020 European Skills Agenda explicitly mentions Europass as 
a  tool  to  support  people  in  their  lifelong  learning  pathways  (Action  11).  Europass  also 
contributes to other objectives of the 2020 European Skills Agenda. It aims to strengthen 
skills  intelligence  (Action  2),  promote  vocational  education  and  training  through 
information provision (Action 4) and establish individual learning accounts (Action 9). For 
instance, since June 2023, Europass has made a Jobs & Skill Trends tool available. The 
publication of learning opportunities in Europass includes VET courses, thus contributing 
to Action 4 of the European Skills Agenda. Micro-credentials (Action 10 of the European 
Skills  Agenda)55  will  also  be  published  in  Europass  once  they  are  included  in  national 
learning opportunity platforms connected to the QDR. If they are included in NQFs and in 
national registers for qualifications, they can also be mapped to Europass. The standards 
elements to describe a micro-credential as defined in the Council Recommendation56 are 
included  in  the  European  Learning  Model,  and  the  European  Digital  Credentials  for 
Learning infrastructure makes it possible to issue micro-credentials as digital credentials. 
Moreover,  the  Individual  Learning  Accounts  Council  Recommendation  makes  a  clear 
reference to Europass and publishing training offers on the platform. 

In  addition,  Europass  contributes  to  the  priorities  of  the  European  Education  Area  by 
offering  a  free  user-centric  platform  to  help  identify,  access  and  apply  for  learning 
opportunities and facilitate access to quality education. 

Furthermore, Europass  is  directly aligned with  Europe’s Digital  Decade, which  aims  to 
make  digital  transformation  work  for  people  and  businesses  and  make  use  of  digital 
opportunities in a human-centred, sustainable and more prosperous digital future. This is 
because Europass improves the transparency of individuals’ skills when applying for jobs 
and  training.  This  helps  improve  matching  candidates  with  jobs.  Europass  has  evolved 
from a portal with five document templates to a modern platform, providing a set of digital 
tools and services in the areas of career management and lifelong learning. 

Lastly,  Europass  focuses  on  employment,  education  and  training,  and  skills  and 
qualifications,  and  provides  people  with  tools  and  services  to  access  job  and  training 
opportunities and acquire skills that can increase their employability. As a result, Europass 
contributes to the social targets set out in the European Pillar of Social Rights action plan. 
These targets are for at least 78% of people aged 20 to 64 to be in employment and at least 
60% of all adults to participate in training every year by 2030. 

55 Currently, one country is piloting this possibility. 

56  Council  Recommendation  of  16  June  2022  on  a  European  approach  to  micro-credentials  for  lifelong 
learning  and  employability  2022/C  243/02  -  OJ  C  243,  27.6.2022,  p.  10–25  -  EUR-Lex  - 
32022H0627(02) - EN - EUR-Lex (europa.eu).  

35 

 
 
The  role  of  Europass  to  deliver  on  EU  employment,  skills,  and  education  and  training 
policies is to be strengthened by the Decision on a European Year of Skills (EYS)57 adopted 
on 10 May 2023. In particular, Europass supports the objectives of the EYS to strengthen 
skills relevance and match people’s aspirations, needs and skill sets with labour market 
needs  and  opportunities.  This  can  be  done  by  promoting  learning  opportunities  and 
facilitating the recognition of qualifications. The recognition process is supported by the 
standardisation  of  documents  (in  particular  Europass  Supplements)  and  the  European 
Digital Credentials for Learning (which are tamper-evident and are a rich source of data, 
for example on learning outcomes). The NECs contributed to the EYS by organising and 
participating in dedicated events58 and promoting and reporting on the EYS via their social 
media channels. 

Europass  also  makes  it  possible  for  other  high-level  EU  policies  and  their  tools  and 
instruments to benefit end users directly. For example, although the EQF has its own legal 
basis  and  governance,  EQF  information  and  tools  (comparison  tool,  interconnection  of 
national qualifications registers) are integrated into the Europass platform and tools, and 
the different reports are published on the Europass platform. Europass also promotes the 
EQF  terminology.  The  link  between  Europass  and  EQF  further  promotes  the  Europass 
policy  objective  of  supporting  the  transparency  and  understanding  of  skills  and 
qualifications. 

Europass  is  aligned  with  the  priorities  adopted  by  the  von  der  Leyen  Commission:  ‘A 
Europe fit for the digital age’ and ‘An economy that works for people’. Europass directly 
relates and contributes to these two priorities as a concrete policy instrument intended to 
harness and further digital capabilities and support a people-driven economy. 

In particular, Europass directly addresses the aim of closing the digital skills gap as set out 
in  the  ‘A  Europe  fit  for  the  digital  age’  priority  as  it  provides  a  concrete  means  of 
identifying  and  improving  digital  skills,  such  as  the  Digital  skills  self-assessment  tool, 
which allows users to easily assess their digital skills. 

Besides  the  broader  policy  context,  there  are  strong  synergies  as  well  as  technical 
interoperability  between  Europass  and  other  EU  initiatives,  such  as  EQF,  NQFs, 
EQAVET, EURES, ESCO and Erasmus+ and EQAR59. This cooperation strengthens the 
impact  of  each  framework  and  tool  and  helps  achieve  greater  benefits  for  learners, 
jobseekers and labour mobility in general. 

57 Decision (EU) 2023/936 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 May 2023 on a European 

Year of Skills, OJ L 125, 11.5.2023, EUR-Lex - 32023D0936 - EN - EUR-Lex (europa.eu). 

58 See the events section on the EYS website: Events and Activities (europa.eu). 

59 The European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR) is the official register of quality 
assurance  agencies,  listing  those  that  work  in  line  with  an  agreed  common framework  to  ensure  the 
quality of higher education institutions and study programmes. 

36 

 
 
Several Europass tools and services have been connected to those initiatives. For example, 
the  EURES  network  and  Europass  are  linked  together  to  promote  a  skilled  and  trained 
workforce  and  job  mobility  in  Europe.  In  practice,  Europass  delivers  tools  for  EURES 
members to support jobseekers (for instance, assistance with drawing up job applications 
and  CVs).  Furthermore,  the  2018  Europass  Decision  set  the  objective  of  establishing  a 
comprehensive  and  interoperable  framework  of  tools  and  information,  in  particular  for 
transnational employment and learning mobility purposes. The Decision also set out that 
synergies and cooperation between the Europass and EURES portals could strengthen their 
impact.  As  a  result,  to  ensure  compatibility,  the  Commission  introduced  the  HR  XML 
standard  for  the  Europass  profile  and  CV  based  on  the  same  technical  standard  as  the 
EURES  data  model.  Improved  synergies  between  EURES  and  the  Europass  platform 
include  the  following:  1)  Europass  users  can  publish  their  CV  in  a  EURES  candidates 
database, making it available for EURES job matching services; 2) Europass users can find 
EURES jobs on Europass and move to EURES to view the full job vacancy; and 3) EURES 
users can use the information in their online CV to create a Europass profile. 

On  labour  and  learning  mobility,  ESCO  is  used  in  the  Europass  system  to  support  the 
delivery of career guidance (providing a taxonomy with detailed descriptions of the skills 
needed to apply for jobs) and learning development solutions. It is also used in the creation 
of CVs, skills and interests profiles as well as skill-assessment tools.  

In  addition,  the  Europass  platform  offers  a  tool  that  allows  users  compare  national 
qualifications  frameworks  and  their  levels  by  using  the  EQF  reference  framework  as  a 
translation tool. Moreover, national qualifications registers are connected to the Europass 
platform,  providing  information  on  qualifications.  Furthermore,  the  Europass  Mobility 
document is used in the Erasmus+ programme and other mobility programmes by end users 
and stakeholders. Higher education institutions use the Diploma Supplement to describe 
skills  and  qualifications  obtained  by  learners.  Overall,  stakeholders  interviewed  in  the 
supporting study see these links as ensuring the external coherence of Europass. 

Therefore, as indicated in the findings of the supporting study on the alignment of Europass 
with EU policies, Europass is consistent with broader EU initiatives and tools in the field 
of  employment,  education,  training  and  guidance.  The  study  also  shows  that  further 
improvements can be achieved, aiming at increased and improved synergies with tools and 
services  linked  to  job  opportunities  and  guidance  services.  In  this  context,  it  could  be 
effective to increase synergies and interoperability between Europass, the European Youth 
Portal and EURES to create a single support and guidance system, in particular to benefit 
the  most  vulnerable  groups  of  young  people.  Synergies  could  be  created  with  EU  and 
national platforms that provide tools and services similar to those on Europass. Examples 
of such platforms are skills intelligence platforms, job search engines and services with 
information on career guidance, education and training and employment (including skills 
mismatch). Finally, synergies with data spaces initiatives, such as the Data Space for Skills, 
could be further explored. 

In terms of internal coherence and as indicated in the supporting study, the new platform 
brings together tools that existed already and new ones in a coherent way. This benefits 

37 

 
labour and learning mobility as well as the transparency of skills and qualifications. This 
allows  individuals  to  access  information  previously  considered  as  only  relevant  to 
policymakers. For example, information on qualification frameworks was only available 
to practitioners in the field, whereas now the Europass platform displays this information 
and helps individuals use it according to their needs. 

In addition, as clearly stated in the 2018 Europass Decision, a clear objective of Europass 
is better coordination and integration of services supporting guidance and mobility within 
Europe. Achieving this objective is expected to improve not only external but also internal 
coherence. 

4.2.  How did the EU intervention make a difference and to whom (EU added value 

and impact)? 

The main EU added value of Europass lies in making unique tools available that facilitate 
standardisation  across  countries  and  give  access  to  information  on  job  and  learning 
opportunities and qualifications in the EU. This could not be achieved by Member States 
acting alone. 

Standardised  CVs  based  on  a  structured  template  ensure  that  candidates  can  present 
information  on  their  skills  and  qualifications  in  a  clear,  consistent,  comparable  and 
transparent way. This allows employers and education and training institutions to easily 
understand and compare the educational and professional background of candidates, which 
facilitates recruitment processes and matching skills and job requirements. 

By providing a set of portable standardised documents and tools, Europass can, on the one 
hand, support labour and learning mobility and facilitate the recognition of qualifications 
and validation of skills across borders. In terms of labour mobility, in 2021 13.9 million 
EU and EFTA nationals lived in  another EU  country, including  around  10.2 million  of 
working age60. On the other hand, Europass can contribute to giving equal opportunities to 
job applicants. 

These equal opportunities were confirmed by participants in the qualitative observations, 
who agreed that Europass contributes to a unified way for candidates to compete in the 
European  labour  market.  According  to  participants,  this  is  particularly  true  for  young 
people transitioning from education and training to the labour market, who are reflecting 
on  how  to  market  their  profiles,  experience,  skills  and  qualifications  to  potential 
employers. 

Linked  to  standardisation,  one  of  the  main  benefits  of  Europass  is  its  support  to  cross-
border  mobility  in  Europe  for  work  and  learning  purposes.  According  to  stakeholders 
interviewed at national level, Europass allows individuals to be more mobile across the 
EU,  providing  them  with  more  learning  and  job  opportunities.  The  user  and  non-user 

60 Annual report on intra-EU labour mobility 2022 

https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?langId=en&catId=89&newsId=10545&furtherNews=yes. 

38 

 
 
survey showed that individuals were more likely to use the Europass CV, when they had 
participated in a mobility exchange, studying or work experience in another country. 

In  some  national  contexts,  e.g.  in  Italy  or  Spain,  where  labour  market  policies  differ 
between regions, Europass also plays an essential role in standardising tools and services 
within the same country. This was confirmed by interviewed stakeholders, who mentioned 
that this standardisation was only possible through a common European framework, such 
as Europass. 

In  certain  countries,  Europass  fills gaps in  the market  (e.g. Latvia), where  according to 
stakeholder  interviews,  no  equivalent  public  alternatives  are  available.  Even  where 
alternative national and international solutions comparable to Europass exist, the platform 
is  the  only  European  solution  which  is  free  of  charge  and  multilingual.  This  has  been 
recognised by stakeholders, who are aware of the advantages of Europass and consider that 
the EU should continue its efforts to support its implementation. Most public consultation 
respondents (77%) consider the main advantage of Europass to provide free services. This 
is followed by the standardised templates and multilingual features of the platform (66% 
and  65%  of  respondents  respectively).  Moreover,  76%  of  respondents  to  the  public 
consultation stated that they have never used other platforms or tools for the reasons they 
used  Europass.  This  illustrates  users’  trust  in  the  Europass  platform  and  in  services 
provided by the Commission. 

According to recommendations from public consultation respondents, the added value of 
Europass  could  be  further  improved  through  tailored  information  and  tools  based  on 
national situations as well as specific sectors and industries. Other suggestions concerned 
the  improvement  of  the  interoperability  of  the  platform  with  other  EU  initiatives  and 
national portals. Moreover, public consultation respondents shared the need for access to 
matching and search tools to improve upskilling and employment. 

According  to  survey  results,  more  than  half  of  the  users  consider  Europass  tools  to  be 
unique as they are not provided by other solutions (on average 57% of respondents). For 
these respondents, the unique tools in Europass are the Supplement templates (61% stated 
this tool is not provided by other solutions or to a lesser quality), the  Digital skills self-
assessment tool (59%), the European Digital Credentials for Learning (58%) and My Skills 
and My Interests (57%). 

Further tools and services will be integrated into the Europass platform to provide more 
guidance to users, e.g. a tool recommending vacancies to jobseekers and education and 
learning opportunities to learners. 

4.3. 

Is the intervention still relevant? 

This section examines how well the objectives of Europass still address current and future 
needs and if any adjustments are necessary. The available evidence collected through the 
supporting study and the public consultation suggests that the broad needs identified at the 
time of the adoption of the Decision and outlined in the intervention logic (see Figure 10 
in Annex II –Intervention logic of Europass) are highly relevant to stakeholders and likely 

39 

 
to remain relevant in the future. The objectives and focus of Europass address the problems 
underpinning the intervention. 

The digitalisation of the labour market is changing the way individuals present information 
on their acquired skills and qualifications. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has further 
accelerated  developments  in  digitalisation.  The  new  Europass  platform  has  evolved  to 
respond to new needs in this context, offering users the possibility to present their skills 
and qualifications with the help of different online tools and services. 

Europass  is  particularly  relevant  to  younger  people,  who  use  the  platform’s  tools  and 
services during their transition from education to the labour market, given that they are 
often  unsure  how  to  structure  their  CVs  and  cover  letters.  For  users  who  are  already 
advanced in their career, Europass has more added value in a mobility context, when they 
are looking for a job or learning opportunities in another country.  

Most public consultation respondents (80% of 1 920 respondents) expressed that Europass 
tools  and  services  are  either  very  important  or  important  to  them.  It  can  therefore  be 
concluded  that  these  tools  and  services  address  their  specific  needs.  This  positive 
appreciation applies, in particular, to information and guidance on job opportunities and 
information on guidance and skills required by the labour market (respectively 83% and 
85% of respondents found these aspects very important or important). 

4.3.1 Need for information and guidance on job and learning opportunities and skills 
required by the labour market 

4.3.1.1 Information and guidance on job opportunities 

The  Europass  platform  responds  to  the  need  for  information  and  guidance  on  job 
opportunities  by  giving  access  to  the  EURES  job  search  tool  and  a  link  to  the  EQF 
comparison  tool  of  national  qualifications  frameworks.  EURES  supports  jobseekers  in 
finding  jobs  and  employers  to  recruit  them  from  all  over  Europe.  Stakeholders  who 
participated in the public consultation valued the synergies between Europass and EURES. 
Both  platforms  work  towards  supporting  job  applications  and  mobility,  and  providing 
EURES  services  through  the  Europass  platform  can  be  considered  as  very  relevant. 
Stronger interoperability and alignment of information provision  between Europass  and 
EURES  could  therefore  strengthen  the  impact  of  both  platforms  and  benefit  users.  In 
addition, the Europass platform provides country specific pages and pages with different 
types of related content (e.g. language skills) as well as links to other EU initiatives and 
national services. 

Users and stakeholders find the access to information and guidance on job opportunities 
very  relevant:  83%  of  public  consultation  respondents  believe  that  information  and 
guidance  on  job  opportunities  is  either  very  important  or  important.  Stakeholders  are 
interested in finding a job in another country, detecting career paths matching their skills 
and qualifications, and understanding labour market demand and trends. They also look 
for  information  on  country  specific  qualification  requirements  and  choosing  an 
education/career  path  aligned  with  a  country’s  labour  market  demand  or  qualification 

40 

 
requirements. This underlines the need for Member States to finish providing information 
on learning opportunities and qualifications so that Europass can reach its potential and 
fully support people in choosing the appropriate education/training paths. 

End  users’  main  needs  relate  to  job  searches,  and  they  consider  Europass  particularly 
relevant in the context of mobility within the EU. Results from the qualitative observations 
carried out  in  the context of the supporting  study  showed that participants interested in 
seeking job opportunities across Europe found Europass relevant, as it offers access to job 
opportunities  and  country  specific  information  on  one  platform.  However,  those 
participants  wishing  to  stay  in  their  countries  or  having  a  specific  destination  in  mind 
would rather consult national-level platforms. 

The qualitative observations also highlighted that the need for information and guidance 
on job opportunities is particularly relevant to recent graduates or people in the early stages 
of their career who need to access information and record their skills and experience and 
qualifications in a single platform. This was confirmed by the user and non-user survey, 
where specifically younger users as well as users from non-EU countries (EEA, candidate 
and  potential  candidate  countries61)  stressed  the  importance  of  information  on  job 
opportunities. 

Employers surveyed for the supporting study appreciate particularly the information about 
job  opportunities  across  Europe.  92%  of  them  consider  it  helpful  for  the  provision  of 
guidance to candidates preparing applications. Information about how to present national 
qualifications in another European country is equally important for employers (87%) as 
they often encounter difficulties in understanding candidates’ profiles. 

For most of the education and training providers surveyed as part of the supporting study, 
information about job opportunities is either very important (43%) or somewhat important 
(38%).  This  stakeholder  group  stressed  the  importance  of  the  learning  opportunities 
database as a tool to help potential candidates find a relevant learning opportunity. 

Interviewed social partners and public consultation respondents pointed out that the tools 
and services should be more specific to professions and industries in order to increase the 
attractiveness of Europass. 

At  EU  level,  Europass  can  be  relevant  to  address  skills  and  labour  shortages  through 
guidance on skills and occupations. The new Jobs & Skill Trends tool launched in June 
2023 helps users identify the occupation groups most in demand in a certain EU country. 
It also provides users with information on EU countries where an occupation is most in 
demand as well as the most relevant skills associated with the respective occupation. 

61 User and non-user survey respondents from Georgia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia and 

Ukraine. 

41 

 
 
The  use  of  artificial  intelligence  and  the  analysis  of  data  in  Europass  profiles  could 
contribute to  providing  personalised  recommendations  on relevant job  opportunities  for 
users in line with their skills, learning and career history and preferences. 

4.3.1.2 Information on lifelong learning and transnational mobility for learning 
opportunities 

The  need  for  access  to  information  on  lifelong  learning  and  transnational  mobility  for 
learning purposes is perceived as very relevant by users and stakeholders. The platform 
provides country specific information and links as well as access to a database on learning 
opportunities  and  qualifications.  However,  Europass  depends  on  Member  States  and 
Europass countries to provide information on qualifications and learning opportunities and 
populate this database; currently 19 countries62 have published their qualifications and 10 
countries63 their learning opportunities. 

Most  respondents  of  the  user  and  non-user  survey  carried  out  in  the  context  of  the 
supporting study (81% of respondents) find it either very important (44%) or somewhat 
important  (37%)  to  get  information  on  lifelong  learning  and  transnational  mobility  for 
learning  purposes  across  Europe.  Younger  respondents  and  respondents  from  non-EU 
countries  (EEA,  candidate  and  potential  candidate  countries64)  tend  to  give  higher 
importance  to  information  on  this  topic.  Education  and  training  providers  feel  more 
strongly  about  information  on  learning  opportunities  compared  to  employers.  46%  of 
education and training providers consider this information as very important, compared to 
26% of employers. The public consultation results are in line with these findings. 80% of 
public consultation respondents believe that providing information on this topic is either 
important  or very important. As explained earlier, this  underlines the need  for Member 
States to finish providing information on learning opportunities and qualifications. 

Participants  from  the  targeted  qualitative  observations  carried  out  in  the  context  of  the 
supporting study highlighted a need for more information on terms and conditions to apply 
for  learning  opportunities  all  over  the  EU.  They  found  the  search  tool  for  learning 
opportunities more effective for getting an overview of learning opportunities all over the 
EU than for searching within a specific country. For opportunities in a specific country, 
the participants would rather search national sources or education and training provider 
specific sources. 

62 Belgium (fr, nl), Austria, Czechia, Germany, Estonia, Greece, France, Ireland, Lithuania, Latvia, Malta, 

Netherlands, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden, Iceland, Türkiye 

63 Belgium (nl), France, Greece, Norway, Malta, Portugal, Iceland, Ireland, Serbia, Sweden 

64  User  and  non-user  survey  respondents  from  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina,  Georgia,  Montenegro,  Norway, 

Serbia and Ukraine. 

42 

 
 
 
At national level, in order for the qualifications and learning opportunities information to 
be relevant, all Member States and other Europass countries need to provide their related 
data to the Qualifications Dataset Register (QDR). 

To  support  the  recognition  of  qualifications  at  EU  level,  access  to  information  on 
qualifications is particularly relevant as it helps create a shared understanding of learning 
outcomes. 

4.3.1.3 Information and guidance on skills required by the labour market 

Information and guidance65 on skills required by the labour market are considered to be 
very relevant by users and stakeholders. 85% of public consultation respondents consider 
these services as very important or important. 

The platform provides tools that allow users to reflect on their skills and interests. The ‘My 
Skills’ tool offers an overview of users’ skills based on information added to their profile, 
whereas in the ‘My Interests’ tool, users can describe their interests and goals. Moreover, 
the  platform  provides  a  section  with  information  on  how  users  can  self-assess  their 
language skills, based on the Common European Framework for Languages (CEFR)66. 

To respond to guidance needs in the area of digital skills, the Commission launched the 
Digital  skills  self-assessment  tool  on  the  Europass  platform  in  December  2021.  Even 
though  users  and  stakeholders  consider  this  tool  very  important  or  important  (78%  of 
respondents to the public consultation), participants in the targeted qualitative observations 
pointed out  a need for further guidance on the  use of the self-assessment test results  to 
support their career or learning outcomes, e.g. on how they could acquire the digital skills 
they lack. Moreover, they noted that the questions were based on knowledge and notions 
that could easily be searched online instead of testing the skills using a “problem-based” 
approach. 

While  national  stakeholders  interviewed  see  the  tool  as  positive,  at  least  one  of  them 
believes that it might compete with national alternatives. 

The need for more customised guidance on skills has been addressed through the new Jobs 
&  Skill  Trends  tool.  Stakeholders  interviewed  and  education  and  training  providers 
responding to the public consultation suggested using artificial intelligence or data mining 
to further improve the tool’s relevance. The platform does not currently contain links to 

65 According to the Europass Decision, effective and adequate promotion, guidance and information activities 
must  be  carried  out  at  EU  level  (Article 6  ‘Commission’s  tasks’).  Moreover,  Member  States  must 
promote and provide information on services offering guidance for transnational learning mobility and 
career  management,  including,  where  appropriate,  individual  guidance  services  (Article 7  ‘Member 
States’ Tasks’). 

66 For further information on the CEFR, see Self-assessment grid - Table 2 (CEFR 3.3) : Common Reference 

levels - Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) (coe.int). 

43 

 
 
relevant EU-generated information such as the Cedefop skills forecast67 and the European 
Inventory for Lifelong Guidance. 

4.3.2 Need for improved transparency and comparability of qualifications and skills 

The  need  for  greater  transparency  and  comparability  of  qualifications,  skills  and 
competences is very much valued by end users and other stakeholders. 

59% of surveyed employers and 61% of surveyed education and training providers found 
it  sometimes  difficult  or  often  difficult  to  verify  the  authenticity  of  qualifications  or 
experience  provided  by  candidates.  Comparing  skills  and  qualifications  acquired  by  a 
candidate  in  another  country  compared  to  other  candidates  proved  often  difficult  or 
sometimes difficult to 54% of surveyed employers and to 59% of surveyed education and 
training providers. This shows that there is a need for specific transparency tools, such as 
the EQF, the common templates (Europass CV, Cover Letter, the Diploma and Certificate 
supplements,  and  the  Europass  Mobility)  and  digitally  signed  credentials  to  support 
stakeholders in these verification processes. 

The transparency and comparability of qualifications relies on the EQF. While the EQF is 
a  different  policy  instrument  to  Europass,  information  on  the  EQF,  NQFs,  the  national 
qualifications databases and registers and the qualifications framework comparison tool 
are hosted on Europass, in line with Article 3(2)b of the Europass Decision. 

83% of the public consultation respondents found it very important or important to have a 
shared  understanding  of  skills  and  qualifications,  and  81%  found  it  very  important  or 
important  to  have  a  greater  comparability  of  qualifications,  skills  and  competences. 
Information on the EQF, the EQF comparison tool of national qualifications frameworks, 
the links to NQF websites, and links to the Cedefop platform (e.g. the NQF Inventory) is 
relevant in this context. 

On EQF, 87% of surveyed education and training providers found it very helpful or helpful 
to have information in all European languages on how to compare national qualifications 
levels across Europe in a European platform. In addition, for most user and non-user survey 
respondents (79%), it was either very important (43%) or somewhat important (36%) to 
have information in any European language about their qualification level across Europe 
in  a  standardised  way  through  the  European  Qualifications  Framework  on  a  European 
platform. 

48%  of  the  surveyed  employers  and  52%  of  surveyed  education  and  training  providers 
found it sometimes difficult or often difficult when hiring new recruits/selecting applicants 
to understand the skills and qualifications acquired by the candidate through working and 
learning  experience,  including  through  mobility  and  volunteering.  Therefore,  there  is  a 
strong need from stakeholders for increased transparency. The current platform provides 
relevant  information  (EQF,  information  on  qualifications  and  learning  opportunities) 

67 https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/tools/skills-forecast 

44 

 
 
document  formats  (CV  and  Cover  Letter),  document  templates  (Europass  Mobility, 
Diploma  and  Certificate  Supplements)  and  tools  (European  Digital  Credentials  for 
Learning). All the documents included in the e-Portfolio (CV, cover letter), the Europass 
documents  (Europass  Mobility,  Diploma  and  Certificate  Supplements)  as  well  as  the 
references to the EQF are well-established services available on the Europass platform. 

In the interviews, EU-level stakeholders (the Commission and EU agencies) emphasised 
the role of EQF in increasing the transparency of qualifications, in particular by focusing 
on  the  skills  and  contents  of  the  qualifications.  National  organisations  stated  that  the 
current Europass improves the comparison of qualifications across Member States. They 
also added that further transnational mobility can be promoted. Social partners added that 
international and intercultural skills are well recorded through Europass, which, in their 
view, facilitates mobility (both for learning and working). 

4.3.3 Need  to reduce  the  fragmentation between  different skills,  qualifications  and 
labour mobility tools 

Before  the  launch  of  the  new  platform  in  July  2020,  Europass  was  a  document-based 
website providing a set of downloadable document templates (CV, Cover Letter, Europass 
documents) hosted on the Cedefop website. Information on the EQF was hosted on the 
Learning Opportunities and Qualifications Portal  (LOQ) of the Commission  and ESCO 
terminology was not integrated in the platform. 

Through the integration of several previously standalone skills and qualification tools as 
well  as  the  introduction  of  new  tools,  the  new  Europass  platform  has  contributed  to 
reducing fragmentation in this area. In particular, the 2020 platform includes a link to the 
EURES  job  search,  uses  ESCO  terminology  in  several  sections  of  the  e-Portfolio,  and 
integrates  information  on  the  EQF,  NQFs,  learning  opportunities  and  validation  (see 
Section 4.1.2.2 Simplification of the platform). The development of the European Learning 
Model as data model to share information and data on qualifications, learning opportunities 
and accreditation and to issue, store, and verify European Digital Credentials for Learning 
aims  to  overcome  this  fragmentation  by  providing  a  single  vocabulary  in  Europe. 
Moreover, a new Digital skills self-assessment tool was added in 2021. 

When asked about the current level of integration of Europass with other EU instruments 
(a  question  only  for  stakeholders,  not  individuals),  44%  of  respondents  of  the  public 
consultation indicated that Europass was very well or quite well integrated with the EQF. 
35%  of  respondents  shared  this  view  on  the  integration  with  ESCO,  and  36%  of 
respondents believe that Europass is very well or quite well integrated with EURES. 

On links with other EU instruments and initiatives, most public consultation respondents 
would  like  to  see  interoperability  with  the  Digital  Skills  and  Jobs  Platform  (74%  of 
respondents), the European Education Area Portal  (66% of respondents),  the Regulated 
Professions  Database  (65%  of  respondents),  Euraxess  (62%  of  respondents)  and  the 
European Youth Portal (59%). 

45 

 
The  need  to  bring  different  skills,  qualification  and  labour  mobility  tools  and  services 
together  under  one  European  platform  has  been  confirmed  by  around  80%  of  the 
respondents to all three surveys of the supporting study to users and non-users, employers, 
and education and training providers. 

When  users  and  non-users  were  asked  for  their  opinion  on  bringing  together  different 
services through  Europass,  the vast  majority found  it very helpful  or helpful to  include 
additional tools and services.  

•  84%  of  surveyed  users  and  non-users  found  it  either  very  helpful  or  helpful  to 

include a digital skills self-assessment tool.  

•  82%  found  it  either  very  helpful  or  helpful  to  create  a  personal  record  in  any 
European language of all a user’s skills, qualifications and experience to reflect on 
their skills and to understand their needs and interests. 

•  80% found it very helpful or helpful to provide authentic certification of skills and 
qualifications using digital credentials instead of relying on paper documents.  
•  Moreover, the vast majority found it helpful to include additional information, in 
particular on the EQF (82% found it either very helpful or helpful) and on lifelong 
learning, qualifications, and learning opportunities (83%).  

•  82% found it very helpful or helpful to have information on job opportunities across 

Europe.  

Therefore, there is a strong demand for an integrated platform. On the stakeholder side, 
the surveyed employers and surveyed education and training providers share the same 
views. 

•  87% of surveyed employers found it very helpful or helpful to include a tool in a 
European  platform  to  certify  the  authenticity  of  a  candidate’s  skills  and 
qualifications using digital credentials instead of relying on paper documents. 
•  77% found it  very helpful  or helpful  to  provide  a tool  to  document the learning 

outcomes of qualifications in any European language. 

•  83% of surveyed education and training providers found it very helpful or helpful 
to include a tool in a European platform to certify the authenticity of a candidate’s 
skills  and  qualifications  using  digital  credentials  instead  of  relying  on  paper 
documents. 

•  86%  of  them  found  it  very  helpful  or  helpful  to  provide  a  tool  to  document  the 

learning outcomes of qualifications in any European language. 

•  80%  of  them  also  found  it  very  helpful  or  helpful  to  provide  a  tool  to  create  a 
personal record in any European language of an applicant’s skills, qualifications 
and experience to reflect on their skills and to understand their needs and interests. 
In addition, most of the education and training providers surveyed found it very 
helpful  or  helpful  to  have  a  European  platform  providing  information  in  all 
European  languages  that  helps  compare  national  qualifications  levels  across 
Europe  (87%),  information  about  lifelong  learning,  qualifications  and  learning 

• 

46 

 
opportunities  across  Europe  (85%),  and  information  on  job  opportunities  across 
Europe (84%). 

Therefore, there is a strong desire from stakeholders to have an integrated platform and 
not to have fragmented tools in the field of skills, qualifications and labour and learning 
mobility. 

From the evidence collected, it can be concluded that on the one hand, the integration of 
the different tools in one platform was perceived as positive by users and stakeholders. On 
the other hand, they also commented on the complexity of the platform (see Section 4.1.2 
Efficiency). Therefore, a balance in this respect needs to be ensured so the platform is not 
overloaded  with  different  initiatives.  The  information  on  the  platform  needs  to  be 
organised  and  presented  in  a  way  that  makes  all  initiatives,  services  and  tools  visible. 
Moreover, separate sections and entry points to the platform could be created for different 
stakeholders (e.g. for users, employers, education and training providers) to better cater to 
their specific needs. 

4.3.4  Need  for  a  shared  understanding  of  skills  and  qualifications  and  an  EU 
infrastructure for digital credentials (EDC) 

The integration of different  tools in  one  platform  (as discussed  in  Section 4.3.3) would 
contribute to addressing the need for a shared understanding of skills and qualifications. 
An infrastructure for digitally signed credentials in the field of skills and qualifications was 
developed as envisaged in the Europass Decision68. 

In  the  public  consultation,  79%  of  the  respondents  considered  an  EU  infrastructure  for 
digital credentials for skills and qualifications as either very important or important. 

In  the  user  and  non-user  survey,  half  the  respondents  indicated  that  this  service  is  not 
provided by other solutions/initiatives or is provided with less quality (26% of respondents 
fully agreed, 32% tended to agree and 21% did not know). 

Most surveyed users and end users declared that it is either very helpful (43%) or somewhat 
helpful (37%) to have a European platform that certifies the authenticity of one’s skills and 
qualifications  using  digital  credentials  instead  of  relying  on  paper  documents.  Younger 
respondents  and  respondents  from  non-EU  countries  tend  more  to  find  such  a  tool 
important. 

In the employers’ survey, their needs in the area of understanding skills and qualifications 
were found to  be  linked to  the challenges in understanding  the skills  and qualifications 
acquired by candidates through work, learning and volunteering experience, including in 
the  context  of  mobility  (39%  considered  it  sometimes  difficult,  9%  often  difficult). 
Understanding candidates’ profiles may have an impact on hiring decisions and, as a result, 
the organisation of work in companies. 46% of surveyed employers noticed a mismatch 

68  See  Europass  Decision,  Article 4(6):  Europass  shall  support  authentication  services  for  any  digital 

documents or representations of information on skills and qualifications. 

47 

 
 
between a new recruit’s expected skills (based on their work and learning experience) and 
the skills demonstrated in the workplace. 

Moreover,  employers  face  difficulties  when  verifying  the  authenticity  of  candidates’ 
qualifications or experience (59% of them consider this process to be sometimes difficult 
or  often  difficult).  Verifying  the  authenticity  of  a  candidate’s  qualifications  is  very 
important  for  employers  when  it  comes  to  hiring  (71%  of  respondents  consider  it  very 
important  or  somewhat  important).  Slightly  more  than  half  of  them  (54%)  consider 
receiving digitally certified documents proving qualifications to be important. 

Surveyed  education  and  training  providers  encounter  similar  problems  when  selecting 
candidates,  understanding  their  skills  and  qualifications  acquired  and  verifying  the 
authenticity  of  these  qualifications  and  skills  (considered  sometimes  difficult  or  often 
difficult by 52% and 61% respectively). Compared to employers, this stakeholder group 
noticed a greater mismatch between students’ expected skills and the skills shown during 
education and training activities (52% declared some mismatch, 10% a great mismatch). 
Providing authentication of learning outcomes with digital credentials is considered very 
important for 68% of the survey respondents. 

In consequence, employers and education and training providers appreciate initiatives to 
make verification processes to compare national qualification levels across Europe more 
efficient, such as the European Digital Credentials for Learning or the EQF. 

According to some interviewed stakeholders at EU level, although at an early stage, EDC 
has a potential to become a relevant tool to a wide range of stakeholders. Some national 
stakeholders value common standards and really see EDC as a tool for the future, while 
others are hesitant to introduce new standards if their public organisation is not ready for 
such a step yet. 

48 

 
 
 
5.  WHAT ARE THE CONCLUSIONS AND LESSONS LEARNED? 

5.1.  Conclusions 

Most of the Europass tools, services and information, required under the 2018 Europass 
Decision, were implemented and made available on the platform when launched in July 
2020.  Since  then,  these  tools  and  services  have  been  regularly  updated  and  further 
improved. Following the launch, the Commission prioritised the development of existing 
tools to ensure the continuity of Europass services. Other tools have been implemented 
more recently (the Digital skills self-assessment tool was launched in December 2021 and 
the Jobs & Skill Trends tool in June 2023). The information on learning opportunities and 
qualifications is not fully complete as some Member States and Europass countries still 
need to share that information. By the end of 2022, 10 Europass countries had completed 
this task for learning opportunities and 19 for qualifications. This underlines the need for 
Member  States 
learning  opportunities  and 
qualifications.  This  will  enable  Europass  to  fully  achieve  its  goals  for  education  and 
training as well as the transparency of skills and qualifications and become more relevant 
to the public. 

to  finish  providing 

information  on 

Member States are implementing the tasks set out in the Europass Decision mostly through 
the  National  Europass  Centres  (NECs).  From  2018  to  2020,  they  focused  mainly  on 
implementing  new  tools,  involving  stakeholders  and  strengthening  the  awareness  of 
Europass and guidance on careers and mobility. From 2021 to 2023, NECs’ attention was 
focused on promoting Europass, giving guidance and involving stakeholders. 

Overall, Member States have effectively implemented the Europass Decision from 2018 
to 2020. Most countries have adequately carried out most of the tasks. However, there is 
still ongoing work in areas, such as the sharing of information about learning opportunities 
and,  to  a  lesser  extent,  qualifications.  While  NECs  have  promoted  cooperation  among 
various public stakeholders at EU, national and regional levels, there is scope for further 
cooperation and engagement with national players in the field of employment, vocational 
training and adult education. NECs could play a key role in reaching out to labour market 
stakeholders and intermediaries. 

5.1.1 Effectiveness 

Making the new Europass platform a one-stop shop bringing together skills, qualification 
and  labour  mobility  tools  has  been  appreciated  by  users  and  stakeholders.  The 
Commission’s decision to  prioritise the development of existing  tools (e.g. the CV  and 
Cover Letter builder) to ensure the continuity of Europass services positively affected the 
effective  implementation  of  the  new  platform.  Some  Europass  features  are  not  yet 
complete (information on qualifications and on learning opportunities). The Jobs & Skill 
Trends tool, released in June 2023, is expected to further personalise information available 
to the users. 

49 

 
 
The number of registered users substantially increased following the launch of the new 
platform,  which  points  to  continuity,  a  retention  of  users  and  effectively  reaching  new 
target audiences. The strong appeal of Europass to young people who are at the start of 
their careers is a particular strength that should be built on. 

There  are  varying  levels  of  uptake  of  the  different  Europass  tools  and  services.  The 
Europass CV and Cover Letter are the best known and most frequently used Europass tools 
as confirmed by all data collection tools in the supporting study. Other functionalities, such 
as the tracking  of applications,  Supplement  templates,  the  Digital skills self-assessment 
tool and the European Digital Credentials for Learning, are used to a lesser extent. This 
suggests that the different  usage rates  should be examined more closely  and any issues 
addressed. It also suggests that the different Europass tools need to be better integrated into 
an improved data analysis system. This will help optimise the platform for end users and 
institutional users. Such a data analysis system would exploit the data coming from users’ 
interactions with the different Europass tools. Europass tools and services are generally 
perceived as useful. The majority of the public consultation respondents (at least 80%) find 
the tools and services useful or very useful, whereas they appreciate most the Europass CV 
(90%). They consider particularly useful the tools that they are most familiar with.  

Public institutions have made extensive use of Europass, in particular when implementing 
the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) Council Recommendation. For instance, 
most of the referencing reports contain references to Europass. 

Integrating  Europass  in  existing  EU  mobility  programmes,  including  but  not  limited  to 
Erasmus+,  is  particularly  important  to  ensure  a  targeted  uptake  by  those  programmes’ 
stakeholders  (education  and  training  providers,  youth  organisations,  social  partners  and 
policymakers). Further  integrating  the use of Europass  by  all Erasmus+ beneficiaries  is 
still essential to attract users and provide targeted mobility services. 

Europass is an effective tool to support mobility and a solution to present knowledge, skills 
and competences in a standardised way. Individual were more likely to use the Europass 
CV, when they had participated in a mobility experience abroad, such as working, studying 
or a mobility exchange. The most used Europass profile language is English, which points 
to  active  labour  mobility  across  the  EU  among  Europass  users  or  local  recruitment  by 
international companies. 

Europass  is  effective  for  fostering  a  common  framework  for  the  transparency  and 
recognition  of  skills  and  qualifications  among  Member  States.  This  relies  on  several 
elements: the link with EQF, the publication of information on qualifications and learning 
opportunities  (although  work  in  this  area  is  still  in  progress),  the  common  supplement 
templates, and the European Digital Credentials for Learning. Optimising the interaction 
with these tools for end users and institutional users will increase these tools’ impact. 

Although strongly anchored in a young user base, Europass aspires to be a tool supporting 
lifelong  learning.  This  requires  all  Member  States  to  share  information  about  learning 
opportunities. It also requires information on validation and career guidance opportunities. 

50 

 
A process is in place for Member States to share information on learning opportunities, but 
this is not yet the case for validation and career guidance. 

Communication  with  end  users  and  stakeholders  about  Europass  took  place  at  EU  and 
national levels by the National Europass Centres (NECs) and was successful in engaging 
with  them. Communication activities took  place  mainly  online between 2020 and 2022 
during the pandemic. The Commission created synergies with other EU initiatives in the 
area  of  education  and  training,  youth  and  labour  mobility  (e.g.  Eurodesk,  EURES  and 
Erasmus+) in order to reach out to their respective target audiences. NECs’ communication 
activities  mainly  targeted  students,  jobseekers,  employers  and  education  and  training 
providers, with young people at the centre of their efforts. There were different levels of 
engagement  with  end  users  through  social  media  channels  in  terms  of  the  volume  of 
Europass  mentions,  frequency  and  content  shared.  Three  platforms  (Facebook,  Twitter, 
and Instagram) accounted for 68% of the online conversation around Europass. 

Awareness of Europass differs between countries. Based on a user and non-user survey to 
the general population of 10 selected countries 69, Portugal, Romania, and Croatia are the 
countries where the awareness of Europass is the highest. Two countries where Europass 
is  known  less  are  France  and  Germany.  Most  Europass  users  are  in  Italy,  Portugal  and 
Romania (in total numbers). This is driven not only by high mobility intentions in these 
countries but also by making Europass a part of public sector recruitment processes. These 
countries also host higher shares of Europass profiles compared to the total population. 
Please see Figure 22  “Share of Europass  profiles across Member States  over their total 
population”  in  Annex  VII,  which  displays  further  details  for  all  Member  States.  The 
Commission  and  NECs  could  take  more  action  to  promote  Europass  in  those  countries 
where it is known and used less, focusing also on employers. 

Most of the platform’s users are relatively young (72% are under 35 years). There is  a 
slight under-representation of women among Europass users. With respect to  education 
and training, only 7% of Europass users indicate an EQF level on their profile70. Among 
those users who do, most have an EQF level of 4 or above. Most Europass users have some 
level of work experience. In terms of profile languages, English is the most used language 
followed by Italian, Portuguese and Romanian. 

Improvements to the platform’s accessibility have been made since its launch. However, 
the views of end users and stakeholders are mixed, and there are some issues for different 
groups of people, including people with lower digital skills, older people and people with 
disabilities. A lack of digital skills is seen as the main accessibility barrier. Therefore, more 
analysis could be carried out to identify further accessibility improvements. 

The Commission intends to intensify its efforts to connect Europass with the labour market 
and make it a tool for lifelong learning. An important part of this effort will be the further 

69 User and non-user survey to the general population of 10 selected countries:  Germany, Spain, Greece, 

France, Croatia, Italy, Portugal, Poland, Romania, Sweden. 

70 This field is optional in the Europass profile. 

51 

 
 
use  of  data  science,  artificial  intelligence  and  interoperability.  Another  aspect  will  be 
providing  more  services  for  those  in  the  middle  or  the  end  of  their  careers.  Achieving 
synergies with key labour market tools, such as EURES, is a way to increase the use of 
Europass by those involved in the labour market and intermediaries. This will provide the 
platform’s  users  with  a  better  understanding  and  management  of  their  skills  and  more 
tailored  opportunities  for  working  and  learning  in  Europe.  It  will  help  employers  find 
candidates who are a better fit for their vacancies. 

5.1.2 Efficiency 

In  terms  of  budget  allocated  to  developing  and  implementing  Europass,  the  significant 
increase  in  new  users  since  the  launch  of  the  platform  in  July  2020  and  the  expected 
stability of costs in the coming years should guarantee a reduction in the cost per Europass 
profile in the long term. This would lead to a long-term improvement in cost-effectiveness 
as digital platforms tend to have low marginal costs for additional users – increased cost-
effectiveness can be expected in the future as long as the number of new users continues 
to  increase.  Expanding  the  user  base  is  therefore  a  key  objective  for  improving  cost-
effectiveness. 

As  recognised  by  stakeholders,  a  lot  of  work  has  been  put  into  improving  the  user-
friendliness of Europass and addressing technical issues. This includes correcting various 
bugs  that  were  encountered  and  reported  by  end  users;  the  number  of  bugs  was 
significantly reduced in the second half of 2022 and first half of 2023.  

The overall aim is for Europass to be functional, visible and easy to use. There is a need to 
find a balance between integration with other initiatives and portals and ensuring that the 
platform and the navigation between the different tools and services does not become too 
complex or confusing for users. This could lead to some of the basic features (CV, Cover 
Letter, etc.) being ignored or becoming unusable. Therefore, focus should be put on fixing 
the platform’s technical issues rather than developing new tools. A clearer guide to using 
the tools and services should also be prepared (e.g. the European Digital Credentials for 
Learning, Supplement templates and the Digital skills self-assessment tool). 

The  role  of  Member  States  has  been  significantly  broadened  with  new  tasks,  including 
reaching the target audience and promoting the new Europass tools. Many Member States 
have  made  their  NECs  responsible  for  carrying  out  these  new  tasks.  As  a  result, 
stakeholders and NECs expressed the need for more resources. This is because the new 
platform provides more tools and services than the previous one, and NECs lack certain 
skills, such as technical knowledge of more recent tools. Carrying out the additional tasks 
with a budget similar to the one before the launch of the platform in July 2020 should be 
seen  as  an  improvement  in  cost-effectiveness.  However,  there  were  different  levels  in 
NECs’ output and contribution to the platform’s implementation, which could hamper the 
efficiency of Europass tools. To increase effectiveness, NECs need to reach out and engage 
with  other  national  bodies  in  the  use  and  promotion  of  Europass.  This  requires  further 

52 

 
engagement  and  interoperability  with  national  guidance  providers,  educational  and 
training consortia, employment services and other labour market actors. 

In relation to the above and with regards to the new Europass governance, it seems that 
since  2018,  governance  has  become  more  efficient  due  to  the  more  solid  multi-level 
structure and the wider distribution of responsibilities and tasks both from the Commission 
to the Member States and across multiple organisations at EU and national level. This is 
despite  differences  among  countries  (in  terms  of  governance  structures,  administrative 
decentralisation  and  political  commitments),  which  are  often  a  challenge  to  ensuring 
efficiency. Given its positive outcomes, this governance system should be maintained, and 
close cooperation and relations with Member States should continue to be a core element 
of Europass. 

5.1.3 Coherence 

The  coherence  of  Europass  with  the  broader  policy  context  is  strong.  In  particular,  the 
Europass platform directly supports the European Skills Agenda, the European Education 
Area and Europe’s Digital Decade. Many of the initiatives in the European Skills Agenda 
rely on Europass for their practical implementation at EU level, e.g. skills intelligence. In 
addition, Europass contributes to the priorities of the European Education Area, which are 
to improve quality, equity, inclusion and success in education and training for all and to 
make lifelong learning and mobility a reality for all. Lastly, the evolution of Europass from 
a platform that consisted of five document templates into a one-stop-shop digital solution 
is directly aligned with Europe’s Digital Decade. 

Europass  also  makes  it  possible  for  other  high-level  EU  policies  and  their  tools  and 
instruments  to  directly  benefit  end  users.  Europass  is  strongly  linked  to  the  European 
Qualifications Framework (EQF), given that EQF information and tools (comparison tool, 
interconnection  of  national  qualifications  registers)  are  integrated  into  Europass,  which 
also promotes the EQF terminology. 

Europass  is  aligned  with  the  priorities  adopted  by  the  von  der  Leyen  Commission:  ‘A 
Europe fit for the digital age’ and ‘An economy that works for people’. Europass directly 
contributes  to  these  priorities  as  a  concrete  policy  instrument  intended  to  harness  and 
further digital capabilities and support a people-driven economy. 

There are also strong synergies and technical interoperability between Europass and other 
EU tools and initiatives in employment, education, training and guidance (such as EURES, 
ESCO and Erasmus+). For example, Europass delivers tools that help EURES members 
support jobseekers and has aligned its technical standards with the EURES data model. 
ESCO  is  used  in  Europass  to  support  the  delivery  of  career  guidance  and  learning 
development  solutions  as  well  as  creating  CVs,  skills  and  interests  profiles  and  skill-
assessment tools. 

Additional synergies could be created between Europass and EU and national platforms 
that provide tools and services similar to those on Europass (for example, skills intelligence 
or forecasts, job search, career guidance information, education and training information 

53 

 
and  labour  market  information).  In  this  context,  increased  and  improved  synergies  or 
integration with EURES could prove to be more effective: a single support and guidance 
system  could  provide  more  integrated  services  to  jobseekers  and  help  employers  find 
candidates that are better informed about and more suitable for their vacancies. On top of 
creating  synergies  and  economies  of  scale,  such  cases  would  eliminate  the  risk  of 
duplication  of  efforts  and  services  between  EU  and  national  initiatives  offering  similar 
tools and services. 

5.1.4 EU added value and impact 

Overall,  the  stakeholders  consulted  recognised  the  EU  added  value  of  Europass,  which 
could  not  have  been  achieved  by  Member  States  alone.  Europass  provides  unique, 
multilingual  and  standardised  tools  and  services  free  of  charge  as  well  as  access  to 
information  on  job  opportunities  and  learning  opportunities  and  qualifications.  The 
standardised  tools  enable  employers  and  education  and  training  providers  to  better 
understand and compare candidates’ educational and professional backgrounds and match 
their skills with the requirements of the job. 

As a result, Europass supports learning and the labour mobility of candidates and thereby 
helps address labour and skills shortages in the EU. In addition, the standardised tools and 
services of Europass contribute to giving equal opportunities to job applicants. 

In some countries, Europass fills gaps in the market where no equivalent public alternatives 
exist. 

Currently,  Europass  is  used  as  a  standard  part  of  public  sector  applications  in  several 
European  countries  (e.g.  Portugal,  Romania  and  Italy).  Standardisation  leads  to  more 
consistency and comparability of skills across European countries. As a result, promoting 
the uptake of Europass could help it become an EU standard for employment, education 
and training profiles and for documenting career advancement. Further promoting its use 
by  public  administrations  in  other  EU  countries  would  be  key  to  such  efforts. 
Mainstreaming Europass use among beneficiaries of EU programmes (e.g. ESF+, Horizon 
Europe, Erasmus+, European Solidarity Corps) could be a key enabler in this context. This 
would further contribute to transparency and mobility for working and learning in Europe. 

Moreover, Europass can play a role in the standardisation of tools and services within the 
same country where labour market policies differ between regions. It would also enable 
better information sharing between the education and training sectors and the employment 
sector. 

5.1.5 Relevance 

Europass  and  its  online  tools  and  services  are  perceived  as  very  relevant  by  users  and 
stakeholders. Europass is likely to remain relevant in the future due to the continued and 
even greater need to understand people’s qualifications and skills in a European context 
and in view of developments in digitalisation and mobility across the EU. In this regard, it 

54 

 
would be important to further develop the data analysis system of Europass. This will make 
it  possible  to  use  user  interaction  data  from  the  platform’s  different  tools  to  improve 
tailoring suggestions for working and learning in Europe. 

Information and guidance on job opportunities is highly relevant to users and stakeholders. 
Users can access job vacancies via the EURES job search tool as well as country specific 
information on both EURES and Europass. More synergies between EURES and Europass 
and more sector or industry specific information could further increase the attractiveness 
and relevance of Europass tools. 

Information on lifelong learning and transnational mobility for learning purposes remains 
relevant  to  users  and  stakeholders.  Europass  depends  on  Member  States  and  Europass 
countries  who  need  to  provide  this  information  on  qualifications  and  learning 
opportunities. This conveys a strong message that Member States need to provide related 
information or keep it up-to-date. 

Information  on  job  opportunities  and  learning  opportunities  are  both  perceived  as 
particularly relevant by younger people who are beginning their careers as well as people 
from non-EU countries. 

The Europass platform provides several tools that respond to the need for information and 
guidance on skills required by the labour market. These are considered to be very relevant 
by  users  and  stakeholders.  More  customised  guidance  could  further  increase  their 
relevance. 

Europass can be relevant to address skills and labour shortages by providing guidance in 
the area of skills and occupations, e.g. through the recently launched Jobs & Skill Trends 
tool. EU agencies working in the fields of skills and labour shortages (Cedefop, Eurofound, 
ELA) are important partners for future developments and could contribute to improving 
Europass services through more efficient data sharing. Personalised recommendations on 
job  opportunities  could  also  help  address  skills  and  labour  shortages.  Lastly,  more 
information on career guidance at national level could be provided to end users. For all the 
above, Member States need to make further efforts to provide country specific information. 
The Commission also needs to improve the platform’s data analysis system. 

Europass  supports  a  broad  range  of  policy  areas  (labour  and  learning  mobility, 
employment, education and training, skills). It is an essential tool for individuals’ career 
management  and  lifelong  learning.  In  particular,  Europass  supports  the  validation  and 
documentation of skills and recognition of qualifications in a single platform  and gives 
access to information on learning offers and qualifications in Europe. Stakeholders can use 
the  Europass  platform,  for  instance,  when  providing  guidance,  in  particular  to  access 
information. Lastly, recognition professionals can use the platform to find information on 
qualifications and learning opportunities to help them with their assessments. Therefore, 
Europass  continues  to  be  relevant  to  ensure  transparency,  a  common  understanding  of 
skills and qualifications, and comparability. 

55 

 
With  the  integration  of  several  previously  standalone  skills,  qualification  and  labour 
mobility  tools  as  well  as  the  introduction  of  new  tools  (e.g.  the  Digital  skills  self-
assessment tool), the new Europass platform has helped reduce fragmentation in this area. 
Stakeholders would like to see interoperability with other EU instruments and initiatives. 
Further efforts could be made to increase interoperability with new partners in the labour 
market  and  in  the  area  of  education  and  training,  focusing  on  guidance  and  vocational 
education and training providers. This would allow people across the EU access the many 
opportunities  for  working  and  learning  that  exist  around  Europe  based  on  Europass 
standards and tools. 

While the integration of the different tools in one platform was perceived as positive by 
users  and  stakeholders,  they  also  commented  on  the  complexity  of  the  platform  (see 
Section 4.1.2 Efficiency). Therefore, a balance in this respect needs to be ensured so the 
platform  is  not  overloaded  with  different  initiatives.  Information  on  tools  and  services 
needs to be organised and presented in a way so that all initiatives are visible. 

The shared understanding of skills and qualifications and the need for an EU infrastructure 
for  digital  credentials  is  viewed  as  highly  relevant  by  both  stakeholders  and  end  users. 
Employers and education and training providers face challenges related to understanding 
skills  and  qualifications  acquired  by  candidates  and  verifying  the  authenticity  of 
candidates’  qualifications  or  experience.  Digitally  signed  credentials  in  the  field  of 
learning  are  being  used  more  and  are  quickly  becoming  more  important.  79%  of 
respondents  to  the  public  consultation  considered  an  EU  infrastructure  for  digital 
credentials  for  skills  and  qualifications  to  be  either  very  important  or  important.  EU 
standards ensure interoperability and avoid fragmentation in this area still in development. 

5.2.  Lessons learned 

Europass  supports  the  objectives  of  the  European  Year  of  Skills  to  strengthen  skills 
relevance and match people’s aspirations, needs and skill sets with labour market needs 
and opportunities. Information and guidance on skills required by the labour market are 
considered to be very important by users and stakeholders. Europass provides tools that 
help users reflect on their skills and interests, like the My Skills tool or the Digital skills 
self-assessment tool. The evaluation exercise revealed the need for more guidance on using 
the self-assessment test  results to support careers or learning outcomes as well as more 
tailored guidance on skills. The latter need has been addressed by the new Jobs & Skill 
Trends tool, for which it was suggested to include artificial intelligence or data mining to 
further improve its relevance. 

Europass  already  has  links  with  several  EU  initiatives  that  can  be  further  developed 
(EURES, ESCO, EQF, ELM, EQAR). In addition, the interoperability of Europass with 
other EU initiatives (e.g. the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform, the European Education Area 
Portal, the Regulated Professions Database, Euraxess or the European Youth Portal) and 
national  portals  could  be  further  explored.  This  would  let  Europass  users  share  their 
profiles  and  documentation  on  other  portals,  making  them  more  visible  to  potential 
employers. Moreover, closer cooperation between Europass, the European Youth Portal 

56 

 
and EURES could be further analysed to improve support and guidance. This could be of 
particular benefit to the most vulnerable groups of young people. In addition, the need for 
more  guidance  on  Europass  could  be  addressed  through  interoperability  with  certain 
national  guidance  services,  giving  people  access  to  such  services  based  on  Europass 
standards. Finally, synergies with data spaces initiatives, such as the Data Space for Skills, 
could be further explored. 

Europass is relevant to jobseeking and responds to the need for information and guidance 
on job opportunities by giving access to the EURES job search tool, which helps people 
find  jobs  and  employers  to  recruit  from  all  over  Europe.  Both  platforms  work  towards 
supporting job applications and mobility, so making EURES services available through 
the Europass platform can be considered to be very important. At the same time, end users’ 
main needs relate to job searches, and they consider Europass particularly relevant in the 
context of labour mobility. Stronger synergies and interoperability between Europass and 
EURES could therefore strengthen the impact of both platforms and be beneficial for all 
users. 

Member  States  and  Europass  countries  need  to  make  further  efforts  in  developing 
qualification and learning opportunity databases and registers. These would link to 
the  Europass  platform  via  the  Qualifications  Dataset  Register,  so  the  information  is 
available to Europass users. 

Stakeholders’ adoption of Europass as a standard profile tool for learning and jobs in 
the EU would contribute to more transparency and comparability of skills as well as more 
mobility across European countries. Moreover, it would ensure an increase in the use of 
Europass tools and services, thereby creating economies of scale. Such an increase would 
be  particularly  supported  by  further  synergies  with  EURES,  focusing  on  tools  like  a 
common profile and CV builder. This would further strengthen the relevance and impact 
of Europass, given that such an adoption by a large number of stakeholders contributes to 
a shared understanding as well as better awareness and recognition of the platform and its 
tools. Further uptake of Europass could be promoted in the context of related EU initiatives 
and  mobility  programmes,  such  as  Erasmus+,  the  European  Solidarity  Corps  and  the 
ALMA (Aim, Learn, Master, Achieve) initiative targeting young people not in any kind of 
employment, education or training. Moreover, in terms of geographical coverage Europass 
promotional activities could focus on countries where Europass is known and used less. 
While the attractiveness of Europass to young people is a particular strength to build on, 
promotion activities could also focus on people aged over 35. 

A  balance  needs  to  be  ensured  between  further  integration  of  new  EU  initiatives  into 
Europass  (leading  to  more  complexity)  and  the  user-friendliness  of  the  platform.  The 
platform  structure  and  main  menu  could  be  reviewed  to  give  better  visibility  to  all  the 
available tools and services. The creation of specific sections with separate entry points for 
users and stakeholder groups (e.g. employers, education and training providers) could be 
considered to better cater to their needs. 

57 

 
For Europass to reach its full potential as a platform for career management and lifelong 
learning, information on career guidance, validation opportunities and the recognition 
of qualifications could be improved, given that the current information on the platform 
remains  general.  This  would  particularly  require  stronger  links  to  national  services  and 
institutions. This information is becoming even more important in the context of the twin 
green and digital transitions. 

The use of Europass is particularly effective in the context of  mobility for labour and 
learning  purposes  across  the  EU,  as  a  solution  to  present  knowledge,  skills  and 
competences in a standardised way. This is because Europass provides tools, services and 
information particularly relevant to mobility. 

There is  a  clear need  to  complete the EDC infrastructure  and leverage the  European 
Digital  Credentials  for  Learning  standards  to support  Member  States  in  their  digital 
transformation  of  credentials  and  ensure  interoperability  between  national  credential 
platforms at EU level. Some national stakeholders value common standards and really see 
EDC as a tool for the future, while others are hesitant to introduce new standards if their 
public organisation is not ready for such a step yet. 

The use of data analysis and artificial intelligence in Europass could be further developed 
and play a role in addressing skills and labour shortages in Europe. Through the recently 
launched Jobs & Skill Trends tool (in June 2023), users can identify the occupation groups 
most in demand in a certain EU country as well as countries where a certain occupation is 
in most demand. Users can also see what are the most relevant skills associated with the 
respective  occupation.  Personalised  recommendations  on  job  opportunities  in  line  with 
skills  indicated  in  users’  Europass  profiles  could  further  help  address  skills  and  labour 
shortages. 

To improve the user-friendliness of the Europass platform, it is important to give priority 
to fixing technical issues over developing any new tools. This would make the platform 
more functional and visible and easier to use. 

Future  developments  for  Europass  could  be  implemented  through  an  ‘accessibility  by 
design’ approach. This means that tools and services are designed in a way that ensures 
they are accessible to  as many people as possible, including  those  with  lower levels  of 
digital skills, older people, long-term unemployed people and people with disabilities (e.g. 
people  with  visual  impairments).  Accessibility  should  be  considered  during  the  initial 
design stages. This process could be supported by user testing with individuals from the 
above-mentioned  groups  to  get  their  feedback  and  identify  potential  barriers  to 
accessibility. By implementing these principles, Europass could contribute to promoting 
inclusiveness and equal opportunities. 

To measure the impact  and use  of  Europass, the development and implementation of  a 
data  monitoring  plan  to  systematically  collect  information  at  the  level  of  tools  and 
services  could be put in  place. A deeper analysis of users’ behaviour would help better 
understand  how  Europass  could  accompany  them  in  their  learning  and  career  paths. 

58 

 
Moreover, regular user satisfaction surveys could give greater insights into the impact of 
Europass in supporting users find jobs and learning opportunities. 

59 

 
 
ANNEX I:   PROCEDURAL INFORMATION 

Organisation and timing 

DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL) is the lead DG for the evaluation of the Decision (EU) 2018/646 of the 
European Parliament and of the Council of 18 April 2018 on a common framework for the provision of better services for skills and 
qualifications (Europass) and repealing Decision No 2241/2004/EC. 

The  call  for  evidence  and  public  consultation  have  been  published  on  the  European  Commission’s  “Have  your  Say”  portal71  on  06 
December 2022. The evaluation has been carried out with the support of the Inter-Services Steering Group chaired by DG EMPL to 
which the following DGs were invited: SG, GROW, EAC and JRC. 

The group met six times:  

•  18 February 2022 - Evaluation timeline, consultation strategy and terms of reference for the external study 
•  15 June 2022 - Kick-off meeting with the contractor in charge of preparing the external study 
•  26 July 2022 - Inception meeting for the external study 
•  30 November 2022 - Meeting on the draft interim report of the external study  
•  06 March 2023 – Meeting on draft final report of the external study 
•  27 June 2023 – Meeting on the draft Staff Working Document (SWD) 

Exceptions to the Better Regulation Guidelines 

The Commission’s Better Regulation Guidelines72 were followed to carry out the evaluation without deviations. 

71 Please see the call for evidence and the public consultation on the “Have your Say” portal: Lifelong learning and career management - evaluation of Europass 

since 2018 

72 Please see  Better regulation: guidelines and toolbox (europa.eu) 

60 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Use of evidence 

The external study was carried out by Verian Group (former Kantar Public)73. The study has been conducted in line with the request for 
services and the agreed inception report. It includes all agreed components and is based on relevant qualitative and quantitative data 
although less targeted stakeholder interviews were carried out than planned in the technical specifications (72 instead of 80). As agreed, 
these have been  compensated with  16 targeted qualitative observations of  non-users. The  analysis and conclusions are sound while 
methodology and limitations are clearly outlined. The lessons learnt are relevant. 

The study applied a mix of evaluation methods including desk research, data analysis (platform user data and social media analysis), a 
public consultation, targeted surveys, interviews with stakeholders and qualitative observations of non-users. 

The Europass Advisory Group, gathering representatives from Member States, was regularly informed of and consulted on the study 
development and findings. 

ANNEX II. METHODOLOGY AND ANALYTICAL MODELS USED 

1. Intervention Logic 

The Intervention Logic of Europass derives from the general objectives of Europass as set out in Decision (EU) 2018/646 (Europass 
Decision). These objectives refer to the provision of a new EU-wide online platform offering online tools and information to support 
people in their lifelong learning and career management. As stipulated in Article 1 of the Europass Decision, the platform can be used 
by individuals such as learners, workers, jobseekers and volunteers to communicate and present their skills, qualifications and experience 
clearly and consistently across Europe. In this context, Europass aims to address needs of citizens and other stakeholders in the areas of 
learning, working or volunteering, for accessing information and guidance on what opportunities are available, on how to assess skills, 
and  on  ways  of  presenting  information  about  skills  and  qualifications.  The  Europass  Decision,  in  its  recital  (34),  clearly  states  the 
general objective of Europass: Since the objective of this Decision, namely the establishment of a comprehensive and interoperable 
framework of tools and information, in particular for transnational employment and learning mobility purposes, cannot be sufficiently 

73 See ‘Study supporting the Europass ex-post evaluation’, Verian Group (former Kantar Public) (https://op.europa.eu/en/web/general-publications)  

61 

 
 
 
 
 
 
achieved by the Member States but can rather, by reason of the effects of the action, be better achieved at Union level, the Union may 
adopt measures, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity as set out in Article 5 of the Treaty on European Union. In accordance 
with the principle of proportionality as set out in that Article, this Decision does not go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve 
that objective. This broad objective can be further broken down into three objectives, namely: 

• 

• 

• 

supporting the mobility of individuals for work and education opportunities in the EU; 
better integrating services for learners, job seekers, workers, volunteers, employers and education and training providers so as to 
communicate skills and competences with a focus on disadvantaged groups; and 
fostering a common framework for transparency and the recognition of skills and qualifications among Member States. 

In terms of inputs, Erasmus+ and ESF+ financial instruments and programmes contribute to supporting Europass activities at EU level. 
NECs  are  co-funded  also  by  the  individual  countries  that  contribute  financially  to  these  activities.  With  the  support  of  the  above-
described  inputs, the activities  planned for Europass can be grouped into EU level  activities and national  level  activities. EU level 
activities include: 

• 

• 

• 

the development and maintenance of the platform and its tools; 
communication and information provision; 
links and synergies with other services and tools in the field of skills and qualifications and labour and learning mobility; 
engaging with Member States and relevant stakeholders; 
coordinating the Europass Advisory Group and NECs; 
• 
•  monitoring and evaluating progress and implementation. 

• 

Activities at national level include: 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

supporting the use of Europass tools via awareness raising and promotional campaigns; 
promoting services offering guidance, career development, lifelong learning opportunities and qualifications; 
disseminating learning opportunities and qualifications, recognition practices and national services on Europass through other 
national organisations (EQF NCP, Euroguidance, agencies at ministerial level, PES, etc.); 
facilitating cooperation between public and private stakeholders; 
supporting the Europass tools and services by issuing Europass Mobility and running a Europass Mobility Database;  
developing national inventories of Certificate Supplements. 

62 

 
 
 
 
 
Combined, these activities should lead to the following expected outputs: 

At EU level: 

• 

• 

further development and maintenance of the platform; 
availability of tools and interoperability with other platforms; 
open standards; 

• 
•  EU level external communication and engagement; 
• 

end users, employers and education and training providers’ uptake of Europass and its various tools and services. 

At national level: 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

national learning opportunities and qualifications shared on Europass; 
communication activities carried out by EU, national and support networks; 
cooperation with national stakeholders; 
stakeholders reach and uptake of Europass and its various tools and services; 
sharing of good practices across NECs. 

As a result, Europass is expected to address the needs identified earlier and, more generally, to have the visibility of its tools and services 
to end users and stakeholders increased, both at EU and national levels, thus facilitating access to opportunities for working and learning. 
A better understanding of skills and qualifications is also expected to lead to better integration of the labour market. The identification 
of skills, the access to information on learning opportunities and possibly the access to skills intelligence tools and guidance, validation 
and recognition of skills are expected to support the increase of upskilling and reskilling, in line with the Porto targets set for 2030. 

The overall  impacts enable citizens  to  move  across  Europe by using Europass  to  document and  present  their  experience  and skills 
transparently. Furthermore, Europass supports the progress of education policy at EU level towards common objectives and represents 
a tool used for enrolment in the education, training and labour market. 

The above elements of the Europass Intervention Logic are presented in the below Figure: 

63 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 10 Intervention Logic of Europass 

Source: External supporting study by Kantar 

64 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2. Methodology 

2.1 Evaluation Questions 

The  evaluation  was  based  on  evaluation  questions  covering  the  five  criteria  defined  by  the 
Better Regulation Guidelines (Relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, coherence and EU added 
value). The questions and sub-questions are specified in the table below. 

Table 2 - Evaluation questions 

Evaluation Criterion 
1. How has the Europass 
Decision been implemented? 
– i.e. identification of the 
activities implemented 

Evaluation questions (EQ) 
1.1.  As identified in the Europass Decision, to what extent the developed 2020 online 

platform provides the following: 

-  web-based tools for:  

o 

o 

o 

o 
o 

documenting and describing personal information in a variety of formats, 
including curriculum vitae (CV) and cover letter templates;  
documenting and describing skills and qualifications acquired through 
working and learning experiences, including through mobility and 
volunteering;  
supporting authentication services for any digital documents or 
representations of information on skills and qualifications; 
the assessment of skills and self-assessment of skills;  
documenting the learning outcomes of qualifications, including the 
Europass supplement templates  

- 

available information or links to available information on the following topics: 

o 
o 

o 
o 

o 

o 

o 

learning opportunities; 
qualifications and qualifications frameworks or systems in line with the 
EQF; 
opportunities for validation of non-formal and informal learning; 
recognition practices and relevant legislation in different countries, 
including third countries; 
services offering guidance for transnational learning mobility and career 
management; 
skills intelligence as produced by relevant Union-level activities and 
agencies within their domains of competence;  
information on skills and qualifications that could be relevant to the 
particular needs of third country nationals arriving or residing in the 
Union to support their integration. 

-  A user-friendly and secure interface delivered in all Europass languages (languages 

of EU Member States and other Europass countries);  

-  Open standards available free of charge, for reuse by Member States and other 

stakeholders on a voluntary basis; 

-  An option for users to store personal data such as a personal profile in compliance 

with Union data protection law; 

- 

- 

Support and ensure technical interoperability and synergies with other relevant 
instruments and services offered at Union and, where appropriate, national levels. 

Europass shall support authentication services for any digital documents or 
representations of information on skills and qualifications. 

Which drivers/influencing factors have affected the current status of the platform? 

1.2.  As identified in the Europass Decision, to what extent the European Commission carried 

out the following tasks: 

-  Manage the Europass online platform by:  

o  Ensuring the availability and high quality of Union-level information or 

links;  

65 

 
 
 
 
 
 
o  Developing, testing and, when necessary, updating the Europass online 

platform, including open standards, in line with user needs and 
technological advancements as well as changes in labour markets and in 
the provision of education and training; 

o  Keeping up to date with and incorporating, where relevant, the latest 

technological developments that can improve the accessibility of Europass 
for older persons and persons with disabilities; 

o  Ensuring that any development or updating of the Europass online 

platform, including open standards, supports consistency of information 
and demonstrates clear added value; 

o  Ensuring that any web-based tools, in particular tools for assessment and 

self-assessment, are fully tested and quality assured; 

o  Ensuring the quality and monitor the effectiveness of the Europass online 

platform including web-based tools in line with user needs. 

- 

Implement the Europass Decision by:  

o  Ensuring the active participation and involvement of Member States in 

strategic planning, including setting and steering strategic objectives, 
quality assurance and financing, and take due regard of their positions; 

o  Ensure the active participation and involvement of Member States in the 
development, testing, updating and evaluation of the Europass online 
platform, including open standards, and take due regard of their positions; 

o  Ensuring that, at Union level, relevant stakeholders are involved in the 

o 

implementation and evaluation of the Europass Decision; 
Setting up learning activities and best practice exchanges between 
Member States and, where appropriate, facilitating peer counselling at the 
request of Member States; and 

o  Ensuring that effective and adequate promotion, guidance and information 
activities are carried out at Union level in order to reach relevant users and 
stakeholders, including persons with disabilities. 

Which drivers/influencing factors have affected the tasks carried out by the European 
Commission? 

1.3.  To what extent Member States, through the relevant national services, implemented the 

Europass Decision by carrying out the following tasks: 

-  Coordinating the activities related to the implementation of Europass web-based 

tools; 

- 

- 

Promoting the use and strengthen the awareness and visibility of Europass; 

Promoting and providing information on services offering guidance for 
transnational learning mobility and career management, including, where 
appropriate, individual guidance services; 

-  Making information on learning opportunities, qualifications and recognition 

practices available on the Europass online platform, including through links to 
relevant national websites; and 

- 

Involving stakeholders from all relevant sectors, and promote cooperation among 
public and private stakeholders, in the activities under their responsibility. 

Which drivers/influencing factors have affected the tasks carried out by the Member 
States? 

2. Relevance: does Europass 
respond to actual and 
potential future needs? – i.e. 
is Europass relevant? 

2.1.  To what extent the Europass framework still responds to end users’ (learners, job seekers, 
workers, and volunteers) and other relevant stakeholders’ (education and training 
providers, guidance practitioners, employers, public employment services, social partners, 
youth work providers, youth organisations and policy makers) needs in providing 
information and guidance on job opportunities? 

2.2.  To what extent the Europass framework still responds to end users’ (learners, job seekers, 
workers, and volunteers) and other relevant stakeholders’ (education and training 
providers, guidance practitioners, employers, public employment services, social partners, 
youth work providers, youth organisations and policy makers) needs in providing 
information on lifelong learning and transnational mobility for learning purposes? 

2.3.  To what extent the Europass framework still respond to end users’ (learners, job seekers, 
workers, and volunteers) and other relevant stakeholders’ (education and training 

66 

 
 
 
 
 
providers, guidance practitioners, employers, public employment services, social partners, 
youth work providers, youth organisations and policy makers) needs in providing 
information and guidance on the skills required by the labour market? 

2.4.  To what extent the Europass framework, with its supporting documents, still responds to 

end users’ (learners, job seekers, workers, and volunteers) and other relevant stakeholders’ 
(education and training providers, guidance practitioners, employers, public employment 
services, social partners, youth work providers, youth organisations and policy makers) 
needs in providing greater transparency and comparability of qualifications, skills and 
competences (including in the context of a mobility)?  

2.5.  Is there a need for self-assessment tools for digital skills on the Europass platform? Is 

there a need to develop further self-assessment tools? 

2.6.  To what extent the Europass framework still responds to end users’ (learners, job seekers, 
workers, and volunteers) and other relevant stakeholders’ (education and training 
providers, guidance practitioners, employers, public employment services, social partners, 
youth work providers, youth organisations and policy makers) needs for reducing the 
fragmentation between different skills and qualifications tools? 

2.7.  To what extent the Europass framework still responds to end users’ (learners, job seekers, 
workers, and volunteers) and other relevant stakeholders’ (education and training 
providers, guidance practitioners, employers, public employment services, social partners, 
youth work providers, youth organisations and policy makers) needs for creating a shared 
understanding of skills and qualifications (formal, non-formal or informal learning) 
including those acquired through mobility? 

2.8.  Is there a need to provide an EU infrastructure for digital credentials for skills and 

qualifications? To what extent does the Europass framework respond to such need? 

2.9.  To what extent the Europass framework addresses the current and future needs of end 
users (learners, job seekers, workers, and volunteers)? Including the current and future 
needs of third country nationals arriving or residing in the Union to support their 
integration?  

2.10.  To what extent Europass is still relevant and likely to stay relevant for end-users(in terms 

of relevance for users’ needs and flexibility or adaptation to change in the context of its 
implementation, notably regarding requirements and feedback by users)? 

2.11.  To what extent the Europass framework addresses the current and future needs of 

employers?  

2.12.  To what extent the Europass framework addresses the current and future needs of 

education and training providers?  

3. Effectiveness - To what 
extent has the 
implementation of Europass 
Decision been effective? 

3.1.  How successful has the implementation of the 2018 Europass Decision been in 

establishing a European framework to support the transparency and understanding of 
skills and qualifications acquired in formal, non-formal and informal settings, including 
through practical experiences, mobility and volunteering? How successful was the 
implementation in establishing the following objectives? 

- 

Supporting the mobility of individuals for work and educational opportunities in the 
EU; 

-  Better integrating services for learners, job seekers, workers, volunteers, employers 
and education and training providers so as to communicate skills and competences 
including with a focus on disadvantaged groups; 
Fostering a common framework for transparency and the recognition of skills and 
qualifications among Member States. 

- 

Which drivers/influencing factors have affected the reaching of the objectives? 

3.2.  Were end-users and stakeholders engaged with the previous Europass platform retained 

with the 2020 platform? How was the transition managed? 

3.3.  What has been the uptake of the 2020 Europass platform services and tools (see list in 

1.1) by: 

- 

End users (learners, job seekers, workers, and volunteers) and  

-  Relevant stakeholders (education and training providers, guidance practitioners, 
employers, public employment services, social partners, youth work providers, 
youth organisations and policy makers)?  

67 

 
 
 
 
What is the sociodemographic of the end users in terms of education level, age, 
employment status? 

3.4.  Were communication activities (at EU and National level) effective in reaching end users 

(learners, job seekers, workers, and volunteers) and other relevant stakeholders 
(education and training providers, guidance practitioners, employers, public employment 
services, social partners, youth work providers, youth organisations and policy makers)?  

3.5.  To what extent are the services and tools offered by the Europass framework accessible 
to and used by disadvantaged groups (persons with lower level of education, lower 
digital skills, older persons, long-term unemployed persons and disabled persons)?  

To what extent the principles of gender equality, gender mainstreaming, the integration 
of gender perspective, and accessibility for persons with disabilities have been applied, 
as well as how anti-discrimination considerations based on gender, racial or ethnic 
origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation have been addressed (EU 
Programme for Employment and Social Innovation - EaSI strand)? 

3.6.  Are end users and relevant stakeholders satisfied with the quality of the offering? how 

useful do they find the different services and tools? 

3.7.  To what extent are the Europass tools and services (see list in 1.1) sustainable? Which 
aspects are considered the most sustainable? What hinders the sustainability of the 
Europass services? Can any of the different tools and services be delivered in a more 
sustainable way? 

4.1.  To what extent is the Europass framework implementation cost-effective? 

4.2.  To what extent did the new Europass framework simplify the delivery of tools and 

services (see list in 1.1)? 

4.3.  To what extent is the governance efficient in steering the Europass framework? 

4.4.  How efficiently, the European Commission carried out its tasks and activities (see list in 

1.2)? 

4.5.  How efficiently, Member States, through the relevant national services, carried out their 

tasks and activities (see list in 1.3)? 

4. Efficiency - Can the 
implementation of Europass 
be considered as efficient? 

5. Coherence - Is Europass 
consistent with other relevant 
policy instruments at EU and 
at national level? 

5.1.  To what extent are the Europass framework and its individual components aligned with 

current EU policy context (i.e., European Pillar of Social Rights, a Europe fit for the 
digital age, an economy that works for the people, the European Skills Agenda, the 
European Education Area)? 

5.2.  To what extent does the Europass framework support and complement other initiatives at 
EU level (e.g., EQF, EURES, EURAXESS, VET, Erasmus+)? What is the extent of 
complementarity, synergies and duplication? 

5.3.  To what extent has the integration of new or pre-existing tools and solutions into 

Europass (see list in 1.1) created a more coherent platform compared with stand-alone 
solutions? 

5.4.  To what extent do the Europass services and tools offered (see list in 1.1) provide 

synergies or duplication with national initiatives? (e.g. mandatory use of Europass CV at 
national level; provision of learning opportunities databases, qualification frameworks or 
system, digital credentials standards and semantic interoperability, etc.)? 

6. EU added value - What is 
the EU added value of 
Europass? 

6.1.  What is the additional value and benefit resulting from the new Europass framework, 

compared with what could be achieved by the Member States at national and/or regional 
levels in the absence of Europass? 

7. What impact does 
Europass have on job-search, 
lifelong learning/upskilling, 
and mobility for work or 
learning within Europe? How 
was this and is this impact 
affected by private providers 
offering similar services? 

7.1.  What impact does Europass have on: 

Job searching 
Lifelong learning/upskilling 

- 
- 
-  Mobility of work 
- 

Learning within Europe 

7.2.  Are there other Europass-equivalent tools or frameworks available to end users (learners, 

job seekers, workers, and volunteers)? How does Europass compare to the other 
‘equivalent’ services/tools? 

7.3.  Are there other Europass-equivalent tools or frameworks available to employers? 

68 

 
 
 
 
7.4.  Are there other Europass-equivalent tools or frameworks available to education and 

training providers? 

Source: External supporting study by Kantar 

69 

 
 
 
 
 
2.2 Desk review 

To produce a sound, thorough evaluation and systematically collect documents for the analysis, the 
external study team developed a categorisation of key document types for review: 

•  EU-level policy documents relating to the Europass Decision, including the legislative, 

communications and report documents, including the Europass Advisory group’s documents 
and reports;  

•  EU-level documents relating to the context of Europass implementation, including 
legislative documents and communications on qualification and skills frameworks, 
employment, Skills Agenda, digitalisation and labour and learning mobility; 

•  National-level documents relating to Europass implementation of promotion activities, 

including the activity reports and work programmes of National Europass Centers (NECs), 
Euroguidance, and EQF National Coordination Points; 

•  Grey and research literature on Europass and skills and qualifications transparency - 

including EU reports, studies of international organisations.  

The  purpose  of  reviewing  these  documents  was  to  analyse  the  qualitative  and  quantitative  data 
regarding  Europass  and  identify  any  data  gaps  which  needed  to  be  filled  by  other  aspects  of  the 
methodology. Following the desk review, the primary data collection tools were revised to ensure a 
good coverage of the evaluation matrix.   

2.3 Stakeholder consultation 

The  consultations  have  followed  the  consultation  strategy  designed  by  the  external  study  team  in 
collaboration with DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion with the aim to cover all Europass 
stakeholders (please see also Annex V of the Staff Working Document “Stakeholders Consultation – 
Synopsis Report”). The consultation strategy included the following: 

•  A call for evidence and a public consultation 

•  Quantitative primary data about the experience and views of individuals (users and non-

users) and stakeholders. The activity consisted of three surveys targeting: 

- 

individuals (users and non-users) 

-  employers 

-  education and training providers 

•  Qualitative insights from two primary sources complement the analysis:  

- 

in-depth interviews with key stakeholders 

-  qualitative  observations  and  feedback  from  non-users  discovering  the  Europass 

platform and functionalities for the first time. 

70 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2.3.1 Public Consultation 

A Public Consultation has been implemented to gather relevant information and opinions regarding 
the questions linked to the five evaluation criteria. The Public Consultation was open to all types of 
stakeholders, including individuals (e.g. learners, job seekers, workers and volunteers), as well as 
organisations (such as employers, civil society organisations, public employment services, social 
partners, education and training providers, youth organisations, youth work providers, national 
authorities and policy makers). The questionnaire has been refined during the inception and interim 
phase of the evaluation to account for the appropriate routing of the stakeholders, and questions 
were cross-checked against the Evaluation Matrix (see Annex III). 

The Public Consultation was open from 06 December 2023 to 28 February 2023 on the “Have your 
Say”  portal  and  received  1920  valid  responses.  Moreover,  a  Call  for  Evidence  was  published  on 
“Have your Say” the same day and received 28 valid replies. For further details on the results of the 
Public Consultation and the Call for Evidence as well as statistics on Public Consultation respondents 
per country and per stakeholder group, please see the “Have your Say” portal74 as well as Annex V 
of the Staff Working Document. 

2.3.2 Surveys 

Three online surveys were launched to individuals (users and non-users), employers and education 
and  training  providers.  The  three  groups  reflect  the  main  stakeholders  identified  in  the  Europass 
Decision. The surveys contained closed and open questions. The sample size and country coverage 
per target group is summarised in the table below. For further details please see Annex V of the Staff 
Working Document “Stakeholders Consultation – Synopsis Report”. 

74 Please see the European Commission’s Have your Say portal: Lifelong learning and career management - evaluation 

of Europass since 2018 

71 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   Table 3 – Surveys implemented in the context of the evaluation of Europass 

Target  

Sample size 

Country coverage 

Survey for users and    non-
users 

Survey for employers 

Survey for education and 
training providers 

Source: External supporting study by Kantar

Sample (A) General 
population: 4040  

(recruited via consumer 
access panels) 

Sample (B) Platform users: 
3607  

(recruited via open link 
published on the Europass 
platform and sent via e-mail 
to Europass users) 

The sample (A) covered 10 EU countries 
(IT, PT, ES, DE, RO, FR, EL, HR, PL, 
SE) 

The sample (B) reached respondents from 
40 different countries: 

•  Member States: all 

•  Other Europass countries: BA, CH, 
IS, ME, MK, NO, RS, TR, UA 

•  Other countries: AL, XK, MD, GE 

Companies located in 24 different 
countries (AT, BE, CY, CZ, DE, DK, EE, 
EL, ES, FI, FR, HR, IE, IT, LT, LU, LV, 
MT, NL, PO, PT, RO, SE, SI) 

Educational entities in the sectors of 
professional training and coaching, higher 
education, primary and secondary 
education, e-learning, research and 
education management. 

Country coverage: All the Member States 
plus 6 Europass countries (IS, ME, NO, 
MK, CH, TR) 

7647 

109 

98 

72 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2.3.4 Stakeholder interviews 

The in-depth semi-structured interviews have been developed in line with the Terms of Reference 
and the Better Regulation Guidelines. During the interim phase, the external study team refined the 
list of relevant stakeholders and developed the questionnaire guide.  

Relevant stakeholders were selected according to their involvement in Europass. These stakeholders 
were divided into EU-level decision-makers, national-level decision makers, and social partners and 
civil society stakeholders.  

•  EU-level decision-makers in charge of Europass or of EU initiatives related to Europass, 
such as EURES, ESCO, EQF, ECVET, ENIC NARIC, the Bologna process and the 
Erasmus+ programme;  

•  National-level decision-makers who are expected to take up the Europass services and use 
them to increase the transparency of national skills and qualifications frameworks. This 
group includes advisory group members, National Europass Centres (NECs), Erasmus+ 
National agencies, qualification bodies, national public authorities and ministries.  

•  Social partners and civil society stakeholders at the EU and national level who are key 
multipliers with respect to employers and education and training providers, both higher 
education institutions and VET providers and associations, in promoting and supporting the 
use and recognition of Europass.  

Furthermore, a balanced geographical distribution of interviews across the Europass countries was 
ensured as summarised in the table below.  

73 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Table 4 - Geographic coverage by category of interviewed stakeholders 

EU 

AT 

BE 

DK 

EE 

FI 

FR 

DE 

EL 

HU 

IE 

IT 

LV 

LT 

LU  MT 

NL 

NO 

PL 

PT 

RO 

SK 

SI 

ES 

SE 

TR 

Total 

EU level (13) 

EU institutions 

13 

National-level public institutions (43) 

EU initiatives present at national 
level 
Institutions related to Europass 
implementation  
Public employment agencies 

Education ministry and VET 
providers 
Employment ministry 

Qualification authorities 

Public Institution  

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

2 

1 

1 

1 

Key enablers from civil society social partners at EU and national level (16) 

Private employment service 

Business trade associations  

Organisations linked to education 
and mobility at EU, national or 
cross-border levels 
Trade associations  

Trade unions  

Universities admitting international 
profiles 
Total number of interviews 

1 

2 

1 

3 

1 

1 

1 

2 

1 

1 

1 

2 

1 

1 

1 

1 

2 

1 

2 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

13 

21 

5 

2 

4 

6 

1 

4 

2 

2 

3 

3 

1 

5 

21 

1 

1 

1 

2 

3 

7 

1 

3 

3 

1 

2 

2 

3 

1 

2 

1 

3 

1 

1 

2 

2 

1 

1 

1 

4 

1 

4 

1 

72 

Source: External supporting study by Kantar

74 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2.3.5 Targeted qualitative observations 

Targeted qualitative consultations with 16 non-users from 4 countries were implemented to assess 
the extent to which Europass, its tools and services adopt a user-centric approach. The purpose of 
these observations was to understand users’ journeys as they use the Europass platform for the first 
time, how they utilise the existing Europass services, and which tools they find easy or challenging 
to  use.  The  results  of  these  consultations  were  used  to  evaluate  the  effectiveness  and  relevance 
criterion, assessing how user-friendly the Europass tools and services are and how relevant non-users 
found them.  

The external study team conducted the qualitative observations in 4 countries with varying levels of 
uptake  of  Europass  (Croatia,  Spain,  Estonia,  Norway),  according  to  the  data  collected  from  the 
platform and in relation to the Eurostat data on country population. As qualitative observations aim 
to provide an in-depth understanding of the user-centricity of the Europass platforms, the key criterion 
for selecting participants was that they had no previous experience or interaction with Europass. This 
allowed the study team to observe non-users’ first interaction with Europass. 

75 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ANNEX III. EVALUATION MATRIX 

The evaluation matrix serves as the organising framework of the evaluation work and the factual answers to the questions for each of the evaluation 
criteria (effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, coherence and EU added value). 

For the answers to each of the specific evaluation questions, please refer to the supporting study report, chapter 4, which is structured according to 
the five evaluation criteria. The figures listed in the column “Data collection tool” of the below table refer to the questions of the respective data 
collection tools. The questionnaires of the data collection tools are included in the supporting study report (chapter 6 – Annexes)75. 

Table 5 - Evaluation matrix 

# 

Evaluation questions 

1.1 

As identified in the Europass Decision, to 
what extent the developed 2020 online 
platform provides the following: 

-  web-based tools for:  

o 

o 

o 

documenting and describing 
personal information in a variety of 
formats, including curriculum vitae 
(CV) and cover letter templates;  
documenting and describing skills 
and qualifications acquired through 
working and learning experiences, 
including through mobility and 
volunteering;  
supporting authentication services 
for any digital documents or 

Assessment criteria & Points of 
comparison 

Indicators 

Data collection tool 

Status quo of the implementation of 
the different platform features as 
defined in the Europass Decision. 
Points of comparison: pre-2020 
Europass platform; comparison 
across tools and services 

Desk research 
Public consultation (Q 2.3, 3.1, 3.2) 
Interviews – EU level (Q 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4); 
Interviews – National organisations (Q 1.2, 1.3); 
Qualitative observations  
Survey – User/non-user (Q 3.1, 3.2, 3.3); 
Survey – Employer (Q 4.1, 4.2, 4.3); 
Survey – Education and training provider (Q 4.1, 
4.2, 4.3); 

Implementation of the following 
web-based tools: 

- 

- 

- 

documenting and describing 
personal information in a 
variety of formats, including 
curriculum vitae (CV) and 
cover letter templates;  
documenting and describing 
skills and qualifications 
acquired through working and 
learning experiences, 
including through mobility 
and volunteering;  
supporting authentication 
services for any digital 
documents or representations 

75 See ‘Study supporting the Europass ex-post evaluation’, Verian Group (former Kantar Public) (https://op.europa.eu/en/web/general-publications)  

76 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
o 

o 

representations of information on 
skills and qualifications; 
the assessment of skills and self-
assessment of skills;  
documenting the learning 
outcomes of qualifications, 
including the Europass supplement 
templates  

- 

available information or links to 
available information on the following 
topics: 

o 
o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

learning opportunities; 
qualifications and qualifications 
frameworks or systems in line with 
the EQF; 
opportunities for validation of non-
formal and informal learning; 
recognition practices and relevant 
legislation in different countries, 
including third countries; 
services offering guidance for 
transnational learning mobility and 
career management; 
skills intelligence as produced by 
relevant Union-level activities and 
agencies within their domains of 
competence;  
information on skills and 
qualifications that could be 
relevant to the particular needs of 
third country nationals arriving or 
residing in the Union to support 
their integration. 

-  A user-friendly and secure interface 
delivered in all Europass languages 
(languages of EU Member States and 
other Europass countries);  

-  Open standards available free of 

charge, for reuse by Member States 

- 

- 

of information on skills and 
qualifications; 
the assessment of skills and 
self-assessment of skills;  
documenting the learning 
outcomes of qualifications, 
including the Europass 
supplement templates  

Implementation of the following 
information: 

- 
- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

learning opportunities; 
qualifications and 
qualifications frameworks or 
systems in line with the EQF; 
opportunities for validation of 
non-formal and informal 
learning; 
recognition practices and 
relevant legislation in different 
countries, including third 
countries; 
services offering guidance for 
transnational learning mobility 
and career management; 
skills intelligence as produced 
by relevant Union-level 
activities and agencies within 
their domains of competence;  
information on skills and 
qualifications that could be 
relevant to the particular needs 
of third country nationals 
arriving or residing in the 
Union to support their 
integration. 

Level of user-friendliness of the 
interface 
Availability of open standards 
Availability of personal data storage 

77 

 
 
 
 
 
 
and other stakeholders on a voluntary 
basis; 

-  An option for users to store personal 
data such as a personal profile in 
compliance with Union data protection 
law; 

- 

- 

Support and ensure technical 
interoperability and synergies with 
other relevant instruments and services 
offered at Union and, where 
appropriate, national levels. 

Europass shall support authentication 
services for any digital documents or 
representations of information on skills 
and qualifications. 

Which drivers/influencing factors have 
affected the current status of the platform? 

1.2 

As identified in the Europass Decision, to 
what extent the European Commission 
carried out the following tasks: 

-  Manage the Europass online platform 

by:  

o  Ensuring the availability and high 

quality of Union-level information or 
links;  

o  Developing, testing and, when 

necessary, updating the Europass 
online platform, including open 
standards, in line with user needs and 
technological advancements as well 
as changes in labour markets and in 
the provision of education and 
training; 

o  Keeping up to date with and 

incorporating, where relevant, the 
latest technological developments 
that can improve the accessibility of 

Technical interoperability with other 
tools 
Drivers/influencing factors 

Level of implementation of the 
different activities as defined in the 
Europass Decision. 
Points of comparison:  Comparison 
across activities 

Availability of Union-level 
information and links 
Level of implementation and update 
of the platform 
Quality level of the platform 
Level of coordination activities 
Learning activities and best practice 
exchanges between Member States 
organised 
Drivers/influencing factors 

Desk research 
Interviews – EU level (Q 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4); 
Interviews – National organisations (Q 1.2, 1.3); 
Survey – User/non-user (Q 3.1, 3.2, 3.3); 
Survey – Employer (Q 4.1, 4.2, 4.3); 
Survey – Education and training provider (Q 4.1, 
4.2, 4.3); 
Qualitative observation 

78 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Europass for older persons and 
persons with disabilities; 

o  Ensuring that any development or 

updating of the Europass online 
platform, including open standards, 
supports consistency of information 
and demonstrates clear added value; 

o  Ensuring that any web-based tools, in 
particular tools for assessment and 
self-assessment, are fully tested and 
quality assured; 

o  Ensuring the quality and monitor the 
effectiveness of the Europass online 
platform including web-based tools 
in line with user needs. 

- 

Implement the Europass Decision by:  

o  Ensuring the active participation and 
involvement of Member States in 
strategic planning, including setting 
and steering strategic objectives, 
quality assurance and financing, and 
take due regard of their positions; 
o  Ensure the active participation and 

involvement of Member States in the 
development, testing, updating and 
evaluation of the Europass online 
platform, including open standards, 
and take due regard of their 
positions; 

o  Ensuring that, at Union level, 

o 

relevant stakeholders are involved in 
the implementation and evaluation of 
the Europass Decision; 
Setting up learning activities and best 
practice exchanges between Member 
States and, where appropriate, 
facilitating peer counselling at the 
request of Member States; and 
o  Ensuring that effective and adequate 
promotion, guidance and information 
activities are carried out at Union 

79 

 
 
 
 
 
1.3 

level in order to reach relevant users 
and stakeholders, including persons 
with disabilities. 

Which drivers/influencing factors have 
affected the tasks carried out by the 
European Commission? 
To what extent Member States, through the 
relevant national services, implemented the 
Europass Decision by carrying out the 
following tasks: 

-  Coordinating the activities related to 
the implementation of Europass web-
based tools; 

- 

- 

Promoting the use and strengthen the 
awareness and visibility of Europass; 

Promoting and providing information 
on services offering guidance for 
transnational learning mobility and 
career management, including, where 
appropriate, individual guidance 
services; 

-  Making information on learning 
opportunities, qualifications and 
recognition practices available on the 
Europass online platform, including 
through links to relevant national 
websites; and 

- 

Involving stakeholders from all 
relevant sectors, and promote 
cooperation among public and private 
stakeholders, in the activities under 
their responsibility. 

2.1 

Which drivers/influencing factors have 
affected the tasks carried out by the Member 
States? 
To what extent the Europass framework still 
responds to end users (learners, job seekers, 
workers, and volunteers) and other relevant 

Level of implementation of the 
different activities as defined in the 
Europass Decision. 
Points of comparison: Comparison 
across activities 

Level of coordination activities 
Level of promotion activities 
Provision of information on learning 
opportunities 
Provision of information on guidance 
services 
Provision of information on learning 
qualifications and recognition 
practices 

Desk research 
Interviews – National organisations (Q 1.1, 1.2, 
1.3); 

Quantity, quality and use of the 
information provided. 

Available information provided 

Use of the information provided 

Desk research; 
Public consultation (Q 1.1); 
Interviews – National organisations (Q 2.1); 

80 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2.2 

2.3 

2.4 

stakeholders (education and training 
providers, guidance practitioners, employers, 
public employment services, social partners, 
youth work providers, youth organisations 
and policy makers) needs in providing 
information and guidance on job 
opportunities? 

To what extent the Europass framework still 
responds to end users (learners, job seekers, 
workers, and volunteers) and other relevant 
stakeholders (education and training 
providers, guidance practitioners, employers, 
public employment services, social partners, 
youth work providers, youth organisations 
and policy makers) needs in providing 
information on lifelong learning and 
transnational mobility for learning purposes? 
To what extent the Europass framework still 
respond to end users (learners, job seekers, 
workers, and volunteers) and other relevant 
stakeholders (education and training 
providers, guidance practitioners, employers, 
public employment services, social partners, 
youth work providers, youth organisations 
and policy makers) needs in providing 
information and guidance on the skills 
required by the labour market? 
To what extent the Europass framework, 
with its supporting documents, still responds 
to end users (learners, job seekers, workers, 
and volunteers) and other relevant 
stakeholders (education and training 
providers, guidance practitioners, employers, 
public employment services, social partners, 
youth work providers, youth organisations 
and policy makers) needs in providing 
greater transparency and comparability of 
qualifications, skills and competences 
(including in the context of a mobility)? 

Points of comparison: comparison 
across needs and stakeholder type 

Quantity, quality and use of the 
information provided. 
Points of comparison: comparison 
across needs and stakeholder type 

Available information provided. 

Use of the information provided 

Quantity, quality and use of the 
information provided. 
Points of comparison: comparison 
across needs and stakeholder type 

Available information provided. 

Use of the information provided 

Europass is supporting transparency 
as perceived by stakeholders 
Points of comparison: comparison 
across needs and stakeholder type 

Description of drivers of the 
transparency of skills and 
qualifications policy in the EU  

Share of stakeholders that confirm 
relevance 

Survey – User/non-user (Q 1.2, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4); 
Survey – Employer (Q 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 
2.7); 
Survey – Education and training provider (Q 2.1, 
2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7); 

Desk research; 
Public consultation (Q 1.1); 
Interviews – National organisations (Q 2.1); 
Survey – User/non-user (Q 1.2, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4); 
Survey – Education and training provider (Q 2.1, 
2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7); 

Desk research; 
Public consultation (Q 1.1); 
Interviews – National organisations (Q 2.2); 
Survey – User/non-user (Q 1.2, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4); 
Survey – Employer (Q 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 
2.7); 
Survey – Education and training provider (Q 2.1, 
2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7); 

Desk research; 
Public consultation (Q 1.1); 
Interviews – National organisations (Q 2.3); 
Survey – User/non-user (Q 1.2, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4); 
Survey – Employer (Q 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 
2.7); 
Survey – Education and training provider (Q 2.1, 
2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7); 

81 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Level of demand of self-assessment 
tools by users 

Public consultation (Q 1.1); 
Survey – User/non-user (Q 1.2, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4); 

2.5 

2.6 

2.7 

2.8 

2.9 

Is there a need for self-assessment tools for 
digital skills on the Europass platform? Is 
there a need to develop further self-
assessment tools? 
To what extent the Europass framework still 
responds to end users (learners, job seekers, 
workers, and volunteers) and other relevant 
stakeholders (education and training 
providers, guidance practitioners, employers, 
public employment services, social partners, 
youth work providers, youth organisations 
and policy makers) needs for reducing the 
fragmentation between different skills and 
qualifications tools? 
To what extent the Europass framework still 
responds to end users (learners, job seekers, 
workers, and volunteers) and other relevant 
stakeholders (education and training 
providers, guidance practitioners, employers, 
public employment services, social partners, 
youth work providers, youth organisations 
and policy makers) needs for creating a 
shared understanding of skills and 
qualifications (formal, non-formal or 
informal learning) including those acquired 
through mobility? 
Is there a need to provide an EU 
infrastructure for digital credentials for skills 
and qualifications. To what extent does the 
Europass framework respond to such need? 

To what extent the Europass framework 
addresses the current and future needs of end 
users (learners, job seekers, workers, and 
volunteers)? Including the current and future 
needs of third country nationals arriving or 
residing in the Union to support their 
integration? 

Self-assessment tools are requested 
by end users 
Points of comparison: comparison 
across needs  
The common reference framework 
helps individuals and organisations to 
compare different qualification 
systems and the levels of 
qualifications under those systems.  
Points of comparison: comparison 
across needs and stakeholder type 

Use of the EQF information 

Relevance of the EQF information 

Europass documents provide for a 
shared understanding of skills and 
qualifications. 
Points of comparison: comparison 
across needs and stakeholder type 

Qualifications available on the 
platform  
Information on Europass Certificate 
Supplement (templates, national 
inventories). 

Availability of diploma supplement 
template 
Qualifications database usage 

Level of users’ demand for digital 
credentials 
Level of employers’ demand for 
digital credentials 
Level of education providers’ 
demand for digital credentials 
Perceived relevance of all individual 
components of Europass  

Mapping of individual users’ needs 
with the features of different 
Europass tools  

Digital credentials are requested by 
the different stakeholders 
Points of comparison: comparison 
across needs and stakeholder type 

Individual users consider Europass 
tools as effectively addressing their 
needs 

There is a strong match between the 
needs identified by people who are 
searching for jobs/ learning 
opportunities and qualifications, and 
the features of Europass tools 

82 

Desk research; 
Public consultation (Q 1.1); 
Survey – User/non-user (Q 1.2, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4); 
Survey – Employer (Q 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 
2.7); 
Survey – Education and training provider (Q 2.1, 
2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7); 

Desk research; 
Platform data (number of visits to the credentials 
section); 
Public consultation (Q 1.1); 
Survey – User/non-user (Q 1.2, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4); 
Survey – Employer (Q 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 
2.7); 
Survey – Education and training provider (Q 2.1, 
2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7); 

Interviews – National organisations (Q 2.1); 
Survey – User/non-user (Q 1.2, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4); 
Survey – Employer (Q 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 
2.7); 
Survey – Education and training provider (Q 2.1, 
2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7); 
Desk research; 
Public consultation (Q 1.1, Q1.2, Q1.3, Q1.4); 
Interviews –  Social Partner (Q 2.1); 
Survey – User/non-user (Q 1.2, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4); 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Points of comparison: comparison 
across needs  
Users consider Europass tools and 
services as useful 
Users report that the current Europass 
framework meets their needs 
Points of comparison: comparison 
across needs  

Users’ opinions about the 
completeness of Europass 

Alignment between needs and 
current features of Europass tools 

Desk research; 
Public consultation (Q 1.1, Q1.2, Q1.3, Q1.4); 
Interviews –  Social Partner (Q 2.4); 
Survey – User/non-user (Q 1.2, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4); 

Employers and recruiters consider 
Europass tools and services as useful  

Stakeholders’ opinions about the 
completeness of Europass 

Alignment between needs and 
current features of Europass tools  

Desk research; 
Public consultation (Q 1.1, Q1.2, Q1.3, Q1.4); 
Interviews –  Social Partner (Q 2.2); 
Survey – Employer (Q 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 
2.7); 

Stakeholders’ opinions about the 
completeness of Europass 

Alignment between needs and 
current features of Europass tools  

Desk research; 
Public consultation (Q 1.1, Q1.2, Q1.3, Q1.4); 
Interviews –  Social Partner (Q 2.4); 
Survey – Education and training provider (Q 2.1, 
2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7); 

2.10 

2.11 

To what extent the Europass is still relevant 
and likely to stay relevant for end-users? (in 
terms of relevance with users’ needs and 
flexibility or adaptation to change in the 
context of its implementation, notably 
regarding requirements and feedback by 
users). 
To what extent the Europass framework 
addresses the current and future needs of 
employers? 

2.12 

To what extent the Europass framework 
addresses the current and future needs of 
education and training providers? 

Employers and recruiters report that 
the current Europass framework 
meets their needs for the 
transparency of education and 
training achievements, qualifications, 
skills and competences, and past 
experiences  

The extent to which employers and 
recruiters consider the functionalities 
for matching job opportunities and 
applicants on the Europass platform 
as relevant 
Points of comparison: comparison 
across needs  
Education and training providers 
consider Europass tools and services 
as useful 

The Europass tools and services are 
considered complete by education 
and training providers  

Education and training stakeholders 
report that the current Europass tools 
and documents meet their needs for 
documentation and recognition of 
learning outcomes  
Education and training providers 
consider that the current Europass 

83 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
framework meets their needs for the 
transparency of education and 
training achievements, qualifications, 
skills and competences, and past 
experiences 
Points of comparison: comparison 
across needs  
Level and quality of services and 
tools offered on the Europass 
platform 
Points of comparison: comparison 
across tools and services 

Services and tools offered on the 
platform 
Perceived quality of services and 
tools offered 

Desk research; 
Platform data (Qualitative analysis of the 
feedback received via the contact-us portal); 
Public consultation (Q 2.2) 
Interviews – EU level (Q 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4); 
Interviews – National organisations (Q 3.1); 
Interviews –  Social Partner (Q 3.1, 3.2, 3.3); 

3.1 

How successful has the implementation of 
the 2018 Europass Decision been in 
establishing a European framework to 
support the transparency and understanding 
of skills and qualifications acquired in 
formal, non-formal and informal settings, 
including through practical experiences, 
mobility and volunteering? How successful 
was the implementation in establishing the 
following objectives? 

- 

Supporting the mobility of individuals 
for work and educational opportunities 
in the EU; 

-  Better integrating services for learners, 
job seekers, workers, volunteers, 
employers and education and training 
providers so as to communicate skills 
and competences including with a 
focus on disadvantaged groups; 
Fostering a common framework for 
transparency and the recognition of 
skills and qualifications among 
Member States. 

- 

Which drivers/influencing factors have 
affected the reaching of the objectives? 

3.2 

Were end-users and stakeholders engaged 
with the previous Europass platform retained 
with the 2020 platform? How was the 
transition managed? 

Stakeholders engaged and end users 
served by the previous Europass 
framework have transitioned to the 
new framework. 
Points of comparison: Data from pre-
2020 Europass platform 

Number of end users pre and post the 
introduction of the new platform 
Stakeholder mobilised pre and post 
the introduction of the new platform 

Desk research; 
Platform data (number of visits in the legacy data 
and recorded in Europa web analytics); 
Interviews – EU level (Q 3.5); 

84 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Uptake of the Europass services and 
tools by end users 
Points of comparison: Data from pre-
2020 Europass platform: 

End user numbers 
End user profiles  
End user tools used  
Number and socio-demographic 
profile of end users  
Awareness of Europass among target 
audiences  

Desk research; 
Platform data (legacy statistics from the previous 
Europass framework; number of visits to the main 
page; number of e-Portfolios created; number of 
CVs created per end-user; number of CVs shared 
on EURES; number of DigSAT tests taken; 
number of Europass documents issued); 
Qualitative observation 

Level of communication reach 
Points of comparison: comparison 
across social media channels and 
countries 

Number of external communications 
(channels, posts, engagement) 

% of stakeholders aware of Europass 

Desk research; 
Social media and search analysis; 
Interviews –  Social Partner (Q 3.4, 3.5); 

Accessibility of the Europass services 
and tools for people with disabilities, 
as well as persons with lower levels 
of education, older persons or long-
term unemployed persons 
Points of comparison: comparison 
across tools and services offered on 
the platform 

Accessibility of the Europass 
platform based on accessibility 
assessment 

Perception of accessibility by 
stakeholders 

Desk research; 
Platform data (socio-demographics of the profiles 
created); 
Public consultation (Q 2.3, Q2.5, Q2.6) 
Interviews – EU level (Q 3.6); 
Qualitative observation 

3.3 

What has been the uptake of the 2020 
Europass platform services and tools (see list 
in 1.1) by: 

3.4 

3.5 

- 

End users (learners, job seekers, 
workers, and volunteers) and  

-  Relevant stakeholders (education and 

training providers, guidance 
practitioners, employers, public 
employment services, social partners, 
youth work providers, youth 
organisations and policy makers)?  

What is the sociodemographic of the end 
users in terms of education level, age, 
employment status? 

Were communication activities affective in 
reaching end users (learners, job seekers, 
workers, and volunteers) and other relevant 
stakeholders (education and training 
providers, guidance practitioners, employers, 
public employment services, social partners, 
youth work providers, youth organisations 
and policy makers)? 
To what extent are the services and tools 
offered by the Europass framework 
accessible to and used by disadvantaged 
groups (persons with lower level of 
education, lower digital skills, older persons, 
long-term unemployed persons and disabled 
persons)?  

To what extent the principles of gender 
equality, gender mainstreaming, the 
integration of gender perspective, and 
accessibility for persons with disabilities 
have been applied, as well as how anti-
discrimination considerations based on 
gender, racial or ethnic origin, religion or 
belief, disability, age or sexual orientation 
have been addressed (EaSI strand)? 

85 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Are end users and relevant stakeholders 
satisfied with the quality of the offering? 
how useful do they find the different services 
and tools? 

Level of satisfaction of the different 
stakeholders 
Points of comparison: comparison 
across tools and services and 
stakeholder type 

Users level of satisfaction  
Employers level of satisfaction 
Education and training providers 
level of satisfaction 

3.6 

3.7 

To what extent are the Europass tools and 
services (see list in 1.1) sustainable? Which 
aspects are considered the most sustainable? 
What hinders the sustainability of the 
Europass services? Can any of the different 
tools and services be delivered in a more 
sustainable way? 

4.1 

To what extent is the Europass framework 
implementation cost-effective? 

Tools and linked services are 
designed to be sustainable 
Expected future relevance of 
Europass tools and services. 
Cost of supporting the Europass tolls 
and services over time. 
Points of comparison: comparison 
across tools and services 
The combined costs of 
implementation of Europass are 
proportionate to the benefits achieved 
Points of comparison: comparison 
across years 

Public consultation (Q 2.2) 
Interviews –  Social Partner (Q 3.3); 
Survey – User/non-user (Q 3.1, 3.2, 3.3); 
Survey – Employer (Q 4.1, 4.2, 4.3); 
Survey – Education and training provider (Q 4.1, 
4.2, 4.3); 

Desk research; 
Cost data; 
Public consultation (Q 2.4) 
Interviews – EU level (Q 7.1, 7.2, 7.3); 
Interviews – National organisations (Q 7.1, 7.2); 
Interviews –  Social Partner (Q 7.1, 7.2, 7.3); 

Desk research; 
Cost data; 
Interviews – EU level (Q 7.1, 7.2, 7.3); 
Interviews – National organisations (Q 7.1, 7.2); 
Interviews –  Social Partner (Q 7.1, 7.2, 7.3); 

Desk research; 
Cost data; 
Interviews – EU level (Q 4.1); 

Desk research; 
Cost data; 
Interviews – EU level (Q 4.1); 
Interviews – National organisations (Q 4.1); 

Assessment of the sustainability of 
tools and services  

Cost per unit for Europass users of 
the different tools (i.e. cost per user, 
cost per CV, etc.)  

Cost per unit for other 
previous/comparable services  

Benefits measured as part of 
effectiveness  

Expert judgement on the 
proportionality of costs per unit with 
the benefits achieved  
Stakeholder views on the evolution 
of the management and governance 
of Europass since 2018  

Comparison of governance structures 
and management processes compared 
with the period prior to 2018  
Stakeholder perceptions of: 

- The decision-making mechanisms 
under current governance  
- The efficiency of Advisory Group 
meetings and communication  

4.2 

To what extent did the new Europass 
framework simplify the delivery of tools and 
services (see list in 1.1)? 

Stakeholders agree that the 
management of Europass has been 
simplified since 2018 changes 
Points of comparison: NA 

4.3 

To what extent is the governance efficient in 
steering the Europass framework? 

There is agreement that the current 
governance model is fit for purpose 
among stakeholders interviewed  

Points of comparison: NA 

86 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
- Examples of inefficiencies in 
governance  

Efficiency in the implementation of 
the different activities 
Points of comparison: comparison 
across activities 
Efficiency in the implementation of 
the different activities 
Points of comparison: comparison 
across activities 
Level of alignment of the Europass 
framework against the different 
relevant EU policies 
Points of comparison: pre-2018 
Europass framework 

Budget allocated to EC activities and 
their outputs 
FTE allocated to EC activities and 
their outputs 
Budget allocated to MS activities and 
their output 
FTE allocated to MS activities and 
their output 
Mapping of Europass framework 
against the different relevant EU 
policies 

Stakeholder perceptions of alignment 

Desk research; 
Cost data; 
Interviews – EU level (Q 4.1); 
Interviews – National organisations (Q 4.2); 
Desk research; 
Cost data;  
Interviews – EU level (Q 4.2); 
Interviews – National organisations (Q 4.1); 
Desk research; 
Interviews – EU level (Q 5.1); 

Coherence of the current Europass 
framework in integrating the different 
services and initiatives carried out at 
EU level. 
Points of comparison: pre-2018 
Europass framework 
Level of coherence of the new 
Europass framework 
Points of comparison: pre-2018 
Europass framework 

Mapping of Europass framework 
against the different relevant EU 
initiatives 

Desk research; 
Public consultation (Q 4.1, 5.7) 
Interviews – EU level (Q 5.2); 

Stakeholder perceptions of coherence 
compared to stand-alone solution 

Public consultation (Q 4.1, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 
5.6) 
Interviews – EU level (Q 5.3); 
Interviews –  Social Partner (Q 5.1, 5.2); 

Level of synergy of the Europass 
framework with national initiatives 
Points of comparison: Mapped 
national Europass-equivalent 
platforms 

Mapping of Europass framework 
against some national initiatives 

Stakeholder perceptions of synergies 

Desk research; 
Public consultation (Q 4.1) 
Interviews – National organisations (Q 5.1, 5.2); 

4.4 

4.5 

5.1 

5.2 

5.3 

5.4 

How efficiently, the European Commission 
carried out its tasks and activities (see list in 
1.2)? 

How efficiently, Member States, through the 
relevant national services, carried out their 
tasks and activities (see list in 1.3)? 

To what extent are the Europass framework 
and its individual components aligned with 
current EU policy context (i.e., European 
Pillar of Social Rights, a Europe fit for the 
digital age, an economy that works for the 
people, the European Skills Agenda, the 
European Education Area)? 
To what extent does the Europass framework 
support and complement other initiatives at 
EU level (e.g., EQF, EURES, EURAXESS, 
VET, Erasmus+)? What is the extent of 
complementarity, synergies and duplication? 

To what extent has the integration of new or 
pre-existing tools and solutions into 
Europass (see list in 1.1) created a more 
coherent platform compared with stand-
alone solutions? 

To what extent do the Europass services and 
tools offered (see list in 1.1) provide 
synergies or duplication with national 
initiatives? (e.g. mandatory use of Europass 
CV at national level; provision of learning 
opportunities databases, qualification 
frameworks or system, digital credentials 
standards and semantic interoperability, 
etc.)? 

87 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Recognition of the Europass vs 
national services/ documents 

Offer of services compared with 
Member States 

Desk research; 
Public consultation (Q 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 5.6) 
Interviews – EU level (Q 6.1); 
Interviews – National organisations (Q 6.1); 
Interviews – Social Partner (Q 6.1); 

6.1 

What is the additional value and benefit 
resulting from the new Europass framework, 
compared with what could be achieved by 
the Member States at national and/or 
regional levels in the absence of Europass? 

7.1 

What impact does Europass have on: 

Job searching 
Lifelong learning/upskilling 

- 
- 
-  Mobility of work 
- 

Learning within Europe 

Europass offers more services/ 
documents not supplied by Member 
States  

Europass gathers more data than 
Member States’ portals  

Europass allows standardisation that 
is not feasible through multiple 
national solutions  
Points of comparison: Mapped 
national Europass-equivalent 
platforms 
Impact of the Europass framework 
Points of comparison: comparison 
across impacts 

Mapping relevant impacts in terms 
of: 
- 
- 
-  Mobility of work 
- 

Job searching 
Lifelong learning/upskilling 

Learning within Europe 

7.2 

Are there other Europass-equivalent tools or 
frameworks available to end users (learners, 
job seekers, workers, and volunteers)? How 
does Europass compare to the other 
‘equivalent’ services/tools? 

7.3 

Are there other Europass-equivalent tools or 
frameworks available to employers? 

7.4 

Are there other Europass-equivalent tools or 
frameworks available to education and 
training providers? 

Source: External supporting study by Kantar

Presence of other tools or 
frameworks available for end users 
and what would happen to them in 
the absence of the Europass 
framework 
Points of comparison: Mapped 
Europass-equivalent platforms 
Presence of other tools or 
frameworks available for employers 
and recruiters and what would 
happen to them in the absence of the 
Europass framework 
Points of comparison: Mapped 
Europass-equivalent platforms 
Presence of other tools or 
frameworks available for education 
and training providers and what 
would happen to them in the absence 
of the Europass framework 
Points of comparison: Mapped 
Europass-equivalent platforms 

Presence of other frameworks and 
tools 

Stakeholder perceptions of the added 
value of the Europass framework vis-
à-vis other options  

Presence of other frameworks and 
tools 

Stakeholder perceptions of the added 
value of the Europass framework vis-
à-vis other options  

Presence of other frameworks and 
tools 

Stakeholder perceptions of the added 
value of the Europass framework vis-
à-vis other options  

88 

Public consultation (Q 2.4, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 
5.6) 
Interviews – EU level (Q 7.1, 7.2, 7.3); 
Interviews – National organisations (Q 7.1, 7.2); 
Interviews –  Social Partner (Q 7.1, 7.2, 7.3); 

Desk research; 
Public consultation (Q 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 5.6) 
Interviews –  Social Partner (Q 6.2); 

Desk research; 
Public consultation (Q 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 5.6) 
Interviews –  Social Partner (Q 6.2); 
Survey – Employer (Q 3.6); 

Desk research; 
Public consultation (Q 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 5.6) 
Interviews –  Social Partner (Q 6.2); 
Survey – Education and training provider (Q 3.8); 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ANNEX IV. OVERVIEW OF BENEFITS AND COSTS AND TABLE ON SIMPLIFICATION AND BURDEN REDUCTION 

Table 6 - Overview of benefits and costs identified in the evaluation  

Learners/job seekers/ 
workers/volunteers 

Employers 

Education and training providers 

Administrations 
(NECs) 

One-off 
and 
recurren
t 

Direct 
compliance 
cost:  
Transfer of 
new 
responsibili
ties to the 
national 
level   

Qualitative 
No costs in 
relation to the 
transfer of 
responsibilitie
s to the 
national level 
were detected 
for 
learners/job 
seekers/worke
rs/ volunteers 

Quantitative  
N/A 

Quantitative   Qualitative 
N/A 

No costs in relation 
to the transfer of 
responsibilities to 
the national level 
were detected for 
employers 

Qualitative 
No costs in relation 
to the transfer of 
responsibilities to 
the national level 
were detected for 
education and 
training providers 

Quantitative   Qualitative 
N/A 

Quantitative  
Not possible to 
quantify 

Not possible to 
quantify  

The cost incurred in 
relation to the transfer 
of new responsibilities 
to the national level is 
linked to the fact that 
budget allocation for 
Member States 
remained unchanged. 
NECs had to bear 
adjustment costs (in 
terms of time) to test 
and pilot the new 
tools and services.  
NECs experience 
administrative 
burdens for carrying 
out specific tasks 
stemming from the 
new Europass 
Decision, particularly 
regarding the 
promotion of 
Europass. (adjustment 
costs). 
The accessibility 
issues result in extra 
workload for NEC to 
support users and 
promote the use of the 
platform at national 
level. 

One-off 
and 
recurren
t 

Direct 
compliance 
cost:  
Launch of 
a new 
platform 
with new 
access 

The new 
platform has 
some 
accessibility 
issues (2FA, 
accessibility 
for people 
with low 

Not possible 
to quantify  

No costs in relation 
to the launch of a 
new platform with 
new access features 
/ requirements were 
detected for 
employers   

Not possible 
to quantify 

Not possible 
to quantify 

No costs in relation 
to the launch of a 
new platform with 
new access 
features / 
requirements were 
detected for 

89 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
features / 
requiremen
ts   

Direct 
benefit: 
Increased 
offer of 
tools and 
services 

Social  

recurren
t 

digital skills) 
affecting 
users’ uptake 
of tools and 
services 
offered by the 
platform. The 
costs born by 
users relate to 
the additional 
time spent to 
access the 
platform, 
saving 
information 
and filling the 
templates due 
to the 
technical 
issues 
encountered 
when 
performing 
tasks.  
Adjustment 
costs refer to 
the time 
needed for 
users to get 
familiar with 
the new 
functionalities 
of the 
platform (for 
instance the 
creation of the 
profile) 
Jobseekers/lea
rners/workers/
volunteers can 
rely on a 
broader set of 
services and 

education and 
training providers 

Some adjustment 
costs born by NECs in 
relation to the launch 
of the new platform, 
refer to the time spent 
to carry out platform 
testing at national 
level and to support 
users in accessing the 
platform.  
Adjustment costs refer 
to the support NECs 
have to provide to 
users when facing 
technical problems. 
Moreover, the 
promotion of the 
platform with the new 
tools and services is 
perceived as a time-
consuming task, 
considering the 
limited resources 
within the NECs. 

 Not 
possible to 
quantify  

Employers are able 
to receive 
information on 
candidates’ profiles 
in a standardised 
and transparent way. 

 Not possible 
to quantify  

Education and 
training providers 
are able to verify 
the skills and 
qualifications or 
provide 

Not possible 
to quantify  

NECs, within their 
organisations, can 
promote the Europass 
tools and services for 
skills recognition and 

Not possible to 
quantify  

90 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Not possible 
to quantify  

This contributes to 
facilitating the 
recruitment process 
as the personal 
information of 
candidates is 
presented in a more 
comparable manner. 

Employers benefit 
from a more 
integrated offer of 
services and tools to 
recruit candidates. 
Particularly, the 
interoperability with 
EURES platform 
supports the 
exchange of 
information (CVs 
and profiles) also 
thanks to the use of 
EU standards (such 
as ESCO).  

Not possible 
to quantify  

trustworthy 
information on 
learners’ 
qualifications and 
learning outcomes 
(through EDC)  

Education and 
training providers 
benefit from a 
more integrated 
offer of services 
and tools. 
Particularly, 
interoperability 
facilitates the 
exchange of 
information on 
learning 
opportunities, 
qualifications and 
digital credentials. 

Not possible 
to quantify  

Not possible to 
quantify  

career management at 
the national level.  

NECs benefit from the 
simplification in the 
delivery of tools and 
services due to the 
centralisation (via the 
one-stop-shop) and 
interoperability of 
tools and services. 
The use of a single 
platform interoperable 
with other systems 
(such as EURES) 
facilitates the delivery 
of services that are 
under the scope of 
NECs as 
administration 
working in the field of 
education and 
employment.  

recurren
t 

Social  

Direct 
benefit: 
Increased 
interoperab
ility with 
other EU 
tools / 
initiatives 

tools (skills 
recognition 
and career 
management) 
for the 
purpose of 
upskilling and 
labour/learnin
g mobility. 
Jobseekers / 
learners / 
workers / 
volunteers 
benefit from a 
more 
integrated 
offer of 
services and 
tools. They 
can now more 
easily access 
to information 
and carry out 
several tasks 
for 
documenting 
their skills and 
qualifications 
as well as for 
searching and 
applying for 
job and 
learning 
opportunities 
under the 
same 
framework.   

Source: External supporting study by Kantar 

91 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table 7 - Simplification and burden reduction  

Table 7 (Part I):  Simplification and burden reduction (saving already achieved) 

Learners / job seekers / workers / volunteers 

Employers 

Education and training providers 

Administrations 
(NECs) 

Qualitative 

Quantitative  

Qualitative 

Quantitative   Qualitative 

Quantitative  

Qualitative 

Quantitative  

Simplification in the provision of services for skills and competence presentation and recognition as well as for labour / learning mobility 
Type: recurrent 

N/A 

N/A 

Not possible to 
quantify  

No 
simplification 
and burden 
reduction have 
been detected 
for employers 

No 
simplification 
and burden 
reduction have 
been detected for 
education and 
training 
providers 

N/A 

No 
simplification 
and burden 
reduction have 
been detected 
for NECs 

The creation of one 
platform centralising 
multiple services 
resulted in a 
simplification for users 
that can now rely on one 
single digital 
environment to carry out 
tasks. Simplification 
concerns mainly a better 
access to information 
that, prior the launch of 
the new platform, was 
scattered and not 
integrated.    

Table 7 (Part II): Potential simplification and burden reduction (savings) 

Learners / job seekers / workers / 
volunteers 

Employers 

Education and training providers 

Administrations 
(NECs) 

Qualitative 

Quantitative   Qualitative 

Quantitative   Qualitative 

Quantitative   Qualitative 

Quantitative  

Fixing technical issues related to the use of the platform  
Type: one-off 
and recurrent 

Not possible 
to quantify 

The vast majority of 
users do not find 
significant issues with 
the services on the 
platform and user 
experience on the 

N/A 

No potential 
simplification 
and burden 
reduction have 
been detected 
for employers 

N/A 

No potential 
simplification and 
burden reduction 
have been 
detected for 

NECs support users in 
using Europass tools 
and services 

Not possible to 
quantify 

92 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
education and 
training provider 

platform could be 
considered positive 
suggesting that tools 
and services are 
delivered with no 
significant burden. For 
the small part of users 
who face technical 
issues, those are 
considered burdensome 
and overcoming them 
would allow for an even 
better retention of users 
and an even broader 
uptake. 

Source: External supporting study by Kantar 

93 

 
 
 
 
 
 
ANNEX V. STAKEHOLDERS CONSULTATION - SYNOPSIS REPORT  

This annex summarises all stakeholder consultation activities undertaken for this evaluation. 

Consultation strategy 

This  Synopsis  Report  outlines  the  consultation  activities  that  took  place  in  the  context  of  the 
evaluation  of  the  Europass  Decision  2018/646  and  presents  the  main  findings.  The  evaluation 
covers the period 2018-2022 with particular attention paid to the period post-2020, when the new 
platform was launched (July 2020) and new features of Europass became progressively available. 
The  geographical  coverage  for  this  evaluation  was  EU27,  European  Economic  Area  (EEA), 
candidate  and  potential  candidate  countries  under  their  agreements  concluded  with  the  Union 
(Article 10, Europass Decision). The Europass e-Portfolio is available in 31 languages, including 
Ukrainian which was added in May 2022. 

The  various  consultations  have  followed  the  consultation  strategy  designed  together  with  DG 
Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion with the aim to cover all Europass stakeholders. The 
consultation strategy included the following: 

•  A call for evidence open to all individuals and organisations including relevant 
stakeholder groups was made available through the “Have your say” platform.    

•  A public consultation open to all individuals and organisations including relevant 

stakeholder groups was organised to inform this evaluation.   

•  Quantitative primary data about the experience and views of individuals (users and 

non-users) and stakeholders. The activity consisted of three targeted surveys: 

-  one targeting both users and non-users. These have been reached with two 

different samples: the general population sample (which included both users and 
non-users) and the Europass users sample reached out via open link on the 
Europass platform.  

-  one targeting employers, and  

-  one targeting education and training providers.  

•  Qualitative insights from two primary sources complement the analysis:  

- 

in-depth interviews with key stakeholders, and  

-  qualitative observations and feedback from non-users discovering the Europass 

platform and functionalities for the first time. The targeted qualitative observation 
allowed the study team to gather first-hand feedback from the public when 
navigating the platform and testing the different features of Europass. 

Europass targets individual end-users, such as learners, job seekers, workers, volunteers, and other 
relevant  stakeholders,  including  education  and  training  providers,  guidance  practitioners, 
employers,  public  employment  services,  social  partners,  youth  work  providers,  youth 
organisations and policymakers.  

94 

 
 
 
 
 
These stakeholders have been targeted by consultation activities (surveys, interviews and public 
consultation) in the light of their:  

- 

interest in receiving services provided by Europass;  

-  expertise in the subject; and  

- 

involvement in running Europass activities.  

The below table shows the stakeholder groups targeted through the consultation activities. 

Table 8 - Types of stakeholders consulted 

Type of stakeholder 

Interest 

End-users (including both Europass 
users and potential users) 

Europass should meet the needs and expectations of all individual end-
users, such as learners, job seekers, workers and volunteers. 

Education and training providers 

Employers 

EU institutions / EU level 
organisations 

Public Employment Services 

National Public institutions 

Social partners and civil society 
organisations 

Education and training providers represent another stakeholder 
category targeted by Europass as both issuers of Europass documents 
and receivers of applications developed using Europass tools. 

Employers represent another stakeholder category targeted by 
Europass as both users of Europass tools and receivers of applications 
developed using Europass tools. 

The European Commission is responsible for providing the tasks 
described in Article 6 of the Europass Decision and for managing the 
Europass platform. Furthermore, integration and alignment with other 
EU-level initiatives are required to ensure coherence.  

Public employment services (PES) are the authorities that connect 
jobseekers with employers. They are an important target of Europass 
as they provide support to job seekers with tools and services for 
career guidance and job search.  

National Public institutions are responsible for providing the tasks 
described in Article 7 of the Europass Decision. Furthermore, 
integration and alignment with other national-level initiatives are 
required to ensure coherence. 

Social partners provide insights into their experience with Europass as 
they play an essential role in the coordination of interactions between 
employers and trade unions by exploring synergies and looking after 
the interest of each party.  

Source: External supporting study by Kantar 

95 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The total reach of the consultation activities by type of stakeholders is shown below. 

Table 9 Stakeholders’ participation in consultation activities 

Type of  consultation 

Type of organisation consulted 

Timeframe 

Number of 

responses/ 

consultation 

activities carried 

EU institutions / EU level organisations  

National public institutions, of which: 

EU initiatives present at national level 

Institutions related to Europass implementation  

Public employment agencies 

Education ministry and VET providers 

Targeted interviews 

Employment ministry 

Qualification authorities 

Public Institution  

Social partners and civil society org, of which: 

Private employment service 

Business trade associations  

Organisations linked to education and mobility at EU, 

national or cross-border levels 

Trade associations  

Trade unions  

Universities admitting international profiles 

out 

13  

43 

16 

21 

5 

2 

4 

6 

1 

4 

2 

2 

3 

3 

1 

5 

January-March 

2023 

Call for Evidence  

All organisations and individuals (users and non-users) 

28 

December 2022-

February 2023 

Public consultation 

All organisations and individuals (users and non-users) 

1920 

December 2022-

(see dedicated section to Public consultation for further 

February 2023 

Survey 

Users and non-users 

details on stakeholders involved) 

Education and training providers 

Employers  

Non-users 

Qualitative 

observations 

Source: External supporting study by Kantar 

96 

 7647 

109  

98  

16  

December 2022-

February 2023 

January-

February 2023 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Public consultation 

Respondents’ profile 

(NGOs), 

organisations 

non-governmental 

The public consultation focused on a wide range of stakeholders, including individuals 
(EU  and  non-EU  citizens),  academic/research  institutions,  public  authorities, 
companies/businesses, 
business 
associations, consumer organisations, trade unions and environmental organisations. 
The  graph  shows  the  distribution  of  the  192076  respondents  into  stakeholder 
categories. The vast majority of respondents (80%; 1531 out of 1920) are EU and non-
EU citizens, while the remaining 20% (389 out of 1920) encompass academic/research 
institutions,  companies,  public  authorities,  NGOs,  business  associations,  consumer 
organisations,  trade  unions,  environmental  organisations  and  ‘others’  (National 
Europass Centres (NECs), organisations/portals related to the Erasmus+ programme). 
Within  respondents  giving  their  contribution  as  business  associations,  business 
organisations,  NGOs  and  stakeholders  falling  under  “other”,  36  %  (51  out  of  145) 
represent employers, while 64% (94 out of 145) are education providers.  

Figure 11 - Respondents to the public consultation 

Source: External supporting study by Kantar 

Regarding geographical distribution, respondents came from 101 different countries, 
most of them from Italy (26%, 501 out of 1920), Spain (14%, 261 out of 1920), and 
Portugal  (9%, 169 out  of 1920). Furthermore, Romania, Greece, France, Germany, 
Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus and Hungary together represent 19% (377 out of 1920) of 
the sample. Other Europass countries that took part in the consultation were Turkey, 

76 In line with the Rules for feedback and suggestions a suitability check of the contributions has been conducted. This resulted in the 
exclusion of 34 contributions. In addition, the European Commission carried out a re-classification check of the respondents based 
on the question‘ I’m giving my contribution as’ where respondents could classify themselves based on a list of type of stakeholders. 
As  a  result,  10  respondents  have  been  re-classified  as  follows:  three  'Consumer  organisation’  re-classified  in  one  ‘Non-EU 
citizens’, one ‘Business association’ and one ‘Academic/research institution’; one ‘Business association’ re-classified in a ‘public 
authority’; three ‘company/business’ re-classified in one ‘EU citizen’ and two ‘public authority; three ‘NGO’ re-classified in one 
‘Non-EU citizen’, one ‘Trade Union’ and one ‘Academic/research institution’. However, the counting and percentages have not 
been adapted following the classification check. Moreover, the public consultation results reflect the 28 contributions received to 
the call for evidence, published on the ‘Have your say’ platform. 

97 

 
 
 
 
 
North Macedonia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Norway, Switzerland and Ukraine 
(together they represent 4%; 77 out of 1920 of the sample). Among non-EU countries, 
India, Brazil and Pakistan participated the most (together, they represent 6% of the 
sample;  118  out  of  1920),  while  the  remaining  responses  came  from  65  other 
countries. 

Figure 12: Country distribution of respondents to the public consultation 

Source: External supporting study by Kantar 

Effectiveness 

The  effectiveness  has  been  assessed  in  terms  of  stakeholders’  familiarity  with 
Europass tools and services as well as their perception in terms of usefulness. The tool 
with  the  highest  levels  of  familiarity  is  the  Europass  CV  (93%;  1781  out  of  1920) 
followed by the personal spaces to record skills, qualifications and experiences (i.e. 
My Skills & My Interests) (74%; 1432 out of 1920) and the cover letter (73%; 1402 
out of 1920). Whereas the supplement templates (Diploma and Certificate) and the 
Europass Mobility seem to be less known (around 60% are not familiar with them). 
Education and training providers and employers are less familiar with the information 
provided  on  the  platform  (about  the  comparison  of  national  qualifications  across 
Europe as well as learning and job opportunities) compared with other Europass tools.  

98 

 
 
 
Figure 13 - Familiarity with the Europass tools and services 

Source: External supporting study by Kantar 

The majority of respondents (at least 80%) of the public consultation find Europass 
tools and services either useful or very useful. Stakeholders consider particularly 
useful the tools they know the most. More in detail (for each bullet point below the 
total of respondents is the number of those who stated they were familiar with a tool 
or service): 

•  The Europass CV is the most appreciated tool (90%; 1604 out of 1781). 

Respondents recurrently mentioned that the free standardised format enhances a 
clear understanding of personal information, thus fostering comparability. 

•  The job opportunities provided by EURES are considered either very useful or 

useful by 83% (790 out of 945). Respondents stated that this service contributes 
to better understanding the European labour market and its trends as it provides a 
big database with open positions across Europe. 

•  The European Digital Credentials for Learning are considered either very useful 

or useful by 84% (941 out of 1112). Respondents value them mainly because they 
represent an efficient way to transmit trustworthy information and reduce paper 
waste. 

•  My Skills and My Interests is considered either very useful or useful by 86% of 

stakeholders (1225 out of 1432). 

• 

Information about how to compare national qualifications across Europe is valued 
by 85% of respondents (714 out of 847). Stakeholders believe that this tool helps 
to navigate the various certifications across Europe and allows for their 
comparability. 

•  The information about lifelong learning and learning opportunities across Europe 
is considered either very useful or useful by 87% (745 out of 861). Respondents 

99 

 
 
 
stated that this service enhances learning and upskilling and helps to make 
European citizens aware of the importance of continuous training. 

•  The Europass Mobility is valued by 84% (632 of 754). Stakeholders believe that 
it is an effective tool allowing for comparability and recognition of skills and 
qualifications acquired abroad. 

•  The Europass cover letter is considered either very useful or useful by 83% (1163 

out of 1402). 

•  The self-assessment tool for testing digital skills is valued by 81% (843 out of 

1043). Respondents consider this tool effective for detecting and addressing the 
digital skills that need to be improved before entering the labour market. 

•  The Europass Certificate Supplement is considered either very useful or useful by 

83% (590 out of 714). 

•  The Europass Diploma Supplement is considered either very useful or useful by 

81% (590 out of 726). 

Figure 14 - Usefulness of the Europass tools and services 

Source: External supporting study by Kantar 

In terms of accessibility, results showed mixed results. Half of respondents believe 
that Europass is accessible to all types of users (51%; 979 out of 1920) and serves a 
diverse group of users (56%; 1080 out of 1920). Most of the stakeholders consider its 
tools and services as user-friendly (65%; 1249 out of 1920). In terms of accessibility 
to more disadvantaged group, roughly a third of respondents believe that the Europass 
platform is not accessible to older persons and persons with lower digital skills (34% 
and 32%, 644 and 610  out of 1920 respectively). The lack of digital skills is seen as 
the main barrier in terms of accessibility and respondents asked for more manuals and 

100 

 
 
 
tutorials in support of Europass platform. Furthermore, 44% of the respondents (848 
out  of  1920)  do  not  know  if  the  platform  is  accessible  to  persons  with  disabilities 
although 30% (583 out of 1920) of respondents believe it is either accessible or very 
accessible  to  them.  Some  suggestions  for  improvement  include  developing  more 
functions for blind people as there are no alternative ways to use the platform for such 
a group at the moment.  Others recommended to  add more tutorials  and manuals to 
support  people  with  lower  digital  skills.  Respondents  believe  that  within  the 
disadvantaged  groups,  the  platform  is  most  accessible  to  long-term  unemployed 
persons with 40% (771 out of 1920) of respondents believing it is either accessible or 
very accessible to this group.  

Efficiency 

In  terms  of  efficiency,  despite  stakeholders  encountering  technical  problems  when 
using the tools and services of the platform (33%), most of them have never requested 
Europass technical support (91%; 1746 out of 1920). Among those having asked for 
it, the technical support is perceived efficient by half of them (53%, 92 out of 174). 
The  main  reasons  for  asking  technical  support  were  related  to  log  in  problems, 
technical errors for accessing and modifying documents. National institutions tend to 
perceive the technical support less efficient as users would need a prompter response 
when facing issues in the use of services and tools.  

Coherence 
Other stakeholders except EU and non-EU citizens, were asked to assess the level of 
integration of Europass with other EU initiatives and instruments. The coherence of 
Europass  with  EQF,  EURES  and  ESCO  is  largely  recognized  by  stakeholders. 
Suggestions  to  further  enhance  synergies  with  these  instruments  concern  better 
promotion of and communication about the services offered to increase the visibility 
of job vacancies, learning opportunities, and qualifications. More in detail, concerning 
the EQF, respondents believe there is a need to improve its visibility as almost three-
quarters of users (70%, 1350 out of 1920) are not aware that NQFs can be compared 
across Europe on the Europass platform. Moreover, of those aware that it is possible 
to compare national qualifications across Europe, 37% (213 out of 570) have never 
used the tool on the 2020 Europass platform. The level of awareness differs among 
different  groups  of  stakeholders;  citizens  tend  to  be  less  aware  of  what  national 
qualifications correspond to at the European level (EQF) (33% are aware of them; 506 
out of 1531), while the majority of other stakeholders beyond citizens do know what 
national qualifications correspond to at a European level (53% are aware of them; 204 
out of 389). The latter might be affected by the fact that certain countries have not 
referenced their qualifications framework to the EQF and the fact that people holding 
older qualifications do not have an EQF level.  

EU added value 

Participants in the public consultation believe these are the main advantages of 
Europass: 

•  The free-of-charge platform available to the public (77%; 1482 out of 1920). 
•  The standardisation of templates (66%; 1274 out of 1920). 
•  The multilingual features of the platform (65%; 1246 out of 1920). 

101 

 
 
 
 
 
•  The possibility for users to compile all their documents and information in 

one platform (56%; 1068 out of 1920). 

•  The trustworthy platform that complies with EU data privacy rules and 
allows for safe storage of the users’ data (48%; 926 out of 1920). 

•  The availability of tools to self-assess users’ digital skills (38%; 723 out of 

1920). 

• 

On the other hand, respondents believe these are the main disadvantages of Europass:  
33% (642 of 1920) believe it is too time-consuming. This is mainly due to 
technical issues, including problems accessing the platform (due to the 2FA – 
two factor authentication).  
12% (229 out of 1920) believe it is challenging to distinguish Europass from 
other initiatives. 
39% (757 out of 1920) do not know. 

• 

• 

The majority of respondents believe that the European Commission should continue 
its efforts to support the implementation of Europass (86%; 1650 out of 1920) and 
provide software and services to support the issuing of digitally signed credentials for 
learning (83%; 1592 out of 1920). However, job seekers and learners recommend that 
Europass  tailors  information  and  tools  e.g.  around  specific  sectors  and  industries. 
Stakeholders also acknowledge the fact that digitally signed credentials have a positive 
impact on increasing the visibility of skills and their comparability. As a result, this 
would  create  a  positive  impact  on  individuals’  employability.  Others  recommend 
improving the interoperability of the platform with other initiatives. In general, more 
significant  connections  with  the  private  sector  are  highly  recommended  by 
stakeholders  who  believe  that  this  would  facilitate  job  placements.  Some  more 
recommendations  concern  career  guidance  and  management.  Respondents 
contributing as citizens, expressed the need for improving services such as tutorials on 
how to use tools and services but also for practical information regarding the skills 
demanded in the labour market. 

Relevance 

Overall, Europass features are significantly relevant for respondents. Indeed, the vast 
majority  of  respondents  (around  80%)  perceive  the  services  and  information  the 
platform  provides  as  important  or  very  important,  especially  regarding  information 
and guidance on job opportunities (83%, 1597 out of 1920) as well as on the skills 
required by the labour market (85%, 1640 out of 1920). Comments from respondents 
suggest  that  the  Europass  offer  appears  to  meet  the  needs  of  stakeholders:  of  job 
seekers through career guidance and support to  mobility, of learners, by promoting 
learning  and  upskilling  according  to  labour  market  needs,  and  of  education  and 
training  providers,  by  informing  them  on  how  to  improve  education  programmes. 
Stakeholders  consider  Europass  particularly  important  for  providing  precise, 
trustworthy  and  reliable  information  and  services  for  skills  recognition.  However, 
despite the general consensus on Europass relevance, respondents highlighted some 
further needs that the Europass  platform could  respond to.  For instance, employers 
wish  to  make  staff  recruitment  more  efficient  and  improve  the  understanding  of 
candidates’ profiles and their comparability. Stakeholders generally shared the need 
to be able to access matching and search tools to enhance upskilling and employment.  

102 

 
 
 
 
Surveys 

Three online surveys were launched for stakeholders, which addressed: (1) users and 
non-users; (2) employers; (3) education and training providers. The surveys contained 
closed and open questions covering the following criteria: relevance, effectiveness and 
efficiency. 

Surveys implemented in the context of the evaluation of Europass [table 3, Annex II] 

Target  

Sample size 

Country coverage 

Survey for users and    non-
users 

Survey for employers 

Survey for education and 
training providers 

Sample (A) 
General 
population: 
4040  

(recruited via 
consumer 
access panels) 

Sample (B) 
Platform users: 
3607  

(recruited via 
open link 
published on 
the Europass 
platform and 
sent via e-mail 
to Europass 
users) 

7647 

109 

98 

The sample (A) covered 10 EU countries (IT, PT, ES, 
DE, RO, FR, EL, HR, PL, SE) 

The sample (B) reached respondents from 40 different 
countries: 

•  Member States: all 

•  Other Europass countries: BA, CH, IS, ME, MK, 
NO, RS, TR, UA 

•  Other countries: AL, XK, MD, GE 

Companies located in 24 different countries (AT, BE, 
CY, CZ, DE, DK, EE, EL, ES, FI, FR, HR, IE, IT, 
LT, LU, LV, MT, NL, PO, PT, RO, SE, SI) 

Educational entities in the sectors of professional 
training and coaching, higher education, primary and 
secondary education, e-learning, research and 
education management. 

Country coverage: All the Member States plus 6 
Europass countries (IS, ME, NO, MK, CH, TR) 

Source: External supporting study by Kantar 

Respondent profiles 

Users and non-users 

Users and non-users have been recruited through two different channels: (A) a sample 
of 4040 respondents reached via consumer access panels in 10 EU countries77 and (B) 

77 IT, PT, ES, DE, RO, FR, EL, HR, PL, SE  

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3607  additional  respondents  recruited  via  open  link  published  on  the  Europass 
platform and an e-mail notification sent to Europass users.  

Regarding country distribution in sample A, the ten countries have been covered in 
equal shares of around 400 individuals each. Regarding sample B, participants to the 
survey mainly come from Italy (24%, 869 out of 3607), Portugal (10%; 347 out of 
3607), Spain (9%; 307 out of 3607) and Germany (8%, 279 out of 3607). Together, 
they  represent  half  of  the  sample.  Non-EU  Europass  countries  participated  with 
Turkey being the most represented country (3%; 96 out of 3607 of the respondents). 
The other non-EU Europass countries represent together 3% of the sample (119 out of 
3607), these being: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Switzerland, Iceland, Montenegro, North 
Macedonia,  Norway,  Serbia  and  Ukraine.  Among  other  non-EU  countries,  four 
countries  participated  (together  forming  2%,  62  out  of  3607):  Albania,  Moldova, 
Kosovo and Georgia. The gender profile of the whole sample (N=7647) shows some 
slight underrepresentation of female respondents (47%; 3607 out of 7647). In terms 
of age, respondents are mainly people active in the labour market (i.e., from 18 to up 
to 45), 51% (3866 out of 7647) are employed for more than five years, while 13% 
(996  out  of  7647)  have  been  working  for  less  than  five  years).  Some  are  still  in 
education  and  training  (14%;  1043  out  of  7647),  while  11%  (874  out  of 7647)  are 
unemployed  and  looking  for  a  job.  A  significant  proportion  of  respondents  are 
transnationally mobile: 26% (1960 out of 7647) have worked abroad, 14% (1079 out 
of 7647) have taken part in a mobility exchange abroad, 10% (729 out of 7647) have 
studied  abroad  for  a  complete  education  cycle,  and  5%  (388  out  of  7647)  have 
volunteered in another country. 

Employers 

The survey to employers reached out to 109 companies from 24 different countries, 
most of them located in Germany (14%; 15 out of 109), Sweden (9%;10 out of 109) 
and Finland (8%; 9 out of 109).  In terms of the size of the enterprises reached, the 
majority of respondents work in large companies with more than 250 employees (52%; 
57 out of 109), a third (30%; 33 out of 109) work in medium-sized organisations with 
50 to 250 employees and 17% (18 out of 109) come from small enterprises with less 
than 50 workers. Most of these companies are active in the computer programming, 
consultancy and related activities sector (11%; 12 out of 109), followed by financial, 
scientific, and technical companies (7%; 8 out of 109). In terms of financial turnovers, 
more than a quarter (26%) of enterprises had a significantly high turnover in 2019 of 
more than 50M€ followed by companies having an annual turnover between 10 and 
50M€ (16%, 17 out of 109). In terms of age, one third of companies (32%; 33 out of 
109)  were  registered  between  2011  and  2022  followed  by  almost  a  quarter  of 
companies  (23%;  25  out  of  109)  registered  before  1980.  Companies  registered 
between 2001 and 2010 were the 20% (22 out of 109 of the sample while 10% (11 out 
of 109) of them registered between 1980 and 1990. Regarding the geographical scope 
of their services, most organisations (72%, 78 out of 109) sold products or services to 
other EU countries in 2021, and 64% (70 out of 109) did so to countries outside the 
EU.  

The  vast  majority  of  respondents  (92%)  actively  participate  in  their  company’s 
recruitment process. Most of them are HR workers (81%; 88 out of 109), while 15% 
(16 out of 109) of the companies’ contributions have been made by CEOs, owners and 
higher  management.  Moreover,  in  terms  of  experiences  abroad,  the  majority  of 

104 

 
 
respondents (63%; 69 out of 109) stated that they work either often or very often with 
people that have studied or followed a training or worked abroad. 

Education and training providers 

98 education and training providers responded to the survey, and almost half of them 
(43%; 42 out of 98) are higher education institutions, followed by entities dedicated 
to adult learning (9%; 9 out of 98), life-long learning (8%; 8 out of 98) and higher 
VET providers (8%; 8 out of 98). The remaining respondents include ‘other’ entities 
(14%,  14  out  of  98,  indicated  different  types  of  providers  such  as  online  schools, 
management consultancies, cultural organisations and primary / secondary schools), 
general  education  and  training  providers  (5%;  5  out  of  98),  labour  market  training 
providers (4%; 4 out of 98), continuous vocational education and training providers 
(4%;  4  out  of  98),  post-secondary  training/education  providers  (3%;  3  out  of  98), 
initial vocational education and training providers (1%, 1 out of 98). In terms of scope, 
the  majority  of  entities  (61%;  60  out  of  98)  reached  have  more  than  250  learners 
enrolled, followed by 15% (15 out of 98) of the entities registering between 50 and 
250 learners. Three-quarters of respondents (75%; 74 out of 98) were directors, deans 
or upper management contributing on behalf of the corresponding educational entities.  

Effectiveness 

Users and non-users 

Europass  is  well known across the ten countries covered by the  general  population 
survey (53%, 2137 out of 4040 of the respondents have heard about it), while 40% 
(868  out  of  2178)  have  used  its  tools.  Some  differences  can  be  observed  across 
countries While both the uptake and the awareness are remarkable in countries such 
as Portugal, Romania, Italy and Croatia, in others, such as France and Germany, the 
awareness and uptake levels are lower. Of those having heard about Europass before, 
half associates Europass with a CV template (49%; 1041 out of 2137) even though 
46%  of  them  (978  out  of  2137)  understand  that  Europass  is  an  online  platform 
providing a variety of services and tools for supporting the transparency of skills and 
qualifications in Europe. Most respondents that have used the Europass platform, also 
used it prior to 2020 (59%; 509 out of 868).  

At the level of web-based tools, the CV and cover letter templates are still the most 
used (76%, 2648 out of 346378, of the users use them often or sometimes), followed 
by the Europass profile (69%, 2400 out of 3463). Europass supplements are never used 
by  half  of  the  respondents.  Other  more  recent  tools,  such  as  the  European  Digital 
Credentials for Learning and the self-assessment test for digital skills, seem to be less 
used (28% stated to have used it often or sometimes). The uptake of the platform is 
higher for the web-based tools rather than for the information provided on the platform 
(around 40% never used it for this purpose).  

78 Users are here considered those having answered ‘Yes’ to the question ‘Have you ever used Europass?’. These amount 

to 868 in the general population sample (sample A) and 2,595 in the sample of platform users (sample B). 

105 

 
 
 
Figure 15 - Awareness and uptake of the Europass tools and services 

Source: External supporting study by Kantar 

All  in  all,  users  are  satisfied  when  using  the  platform.  This  is  particularly  true  for 
specific  tools  such  as  the  CV  (86%,  2858  out  of  3315  are  either  very  satisfied  or 
somewhat satisfied), the profile (85%; 2792 out of 3278 are either very satisfied or 
somewhat satisfied) and My Skills and My Interests (81%; 2039 out of 2524) are either 
very satisfied or somewhat satisfied).  

Figure 16: Levels of satisfaction with Europass tools  

Source: External supporting study by Kantar 

Positive opinions also relate to the platform’s user-friendliness (on average 78%) and 
the fact that Europass provides fast (on average 74%) and relevant solutions for their 
needs (on average 77%). While users are overall satisfied with the platform, issues 
hampering the current effectiveness are accessibility issues and technical issues. 

Employers  

Compared to end users, the level of awareness is higher across employers (although 
the targeted sample is not representative), with 66% (72 out of 109) of the respondents 
having heard about Europass and 44% (32 out of 72) having used the platform at least 
once.  More  than  half  of  them  have  used  Europass  both  before  and  after  2020,  this 

106 

 
 
 
 
indicating a good retention from the old and new platform. Employers have mostly 
received/used  CVs  and  cover  letters  (56%;  18  out  of  32  have  received  them  either 
often or sometimes), while digital credentials and supplements templates have never 
or rarely been received by respectively 78% (25 out of 32) and 72% (23 out of 32). 
Moreover, the platform is not frequently used to retrieve information (78%; 25 out of 
32  stated  that  they  never  used  the  Europass  platform  to  retrieve  information).  The 
majority of respondents are satisfied with most Europass tools. In particular, 57% (17 
out  of  30)  of  employers  are  either  very  satisfied  or  somewhat  satisfied  with  CV 
templates  and  cover  letters.  Among  those  having  received  digitally  certified 
credentials (17 out of 32), respondents seem to be less satisfied with the quality with 
35% (6 out of 17) of respondents being very satisfied or somewhat satisfied, and 47% 
(8 out of 17) of respondents not knowing.  

Education and training providers 

Similarly, education and training providers are aware of Europass (66%, 65 out of 98 
have  heard  about  it),  while  40%  (26  out  of  65)  have  used  or  received  documents 
generated with Europass. Most of respondents (69%; 18 out of 26) have used it within 
the last three years and 56% (10 out of 18) have also used it before 2020. When looking 
at the Europass tools, half of the respondents having used and/or received documents 
generated  with  Europass  state  to  have  used  the  CV  and  cover  letter,  while  digital 
credentials and supplement templates were less used (respectively 46%, 12 out of 26, 
and 35%, 9 out of 26, stated they have never used them). It seems clear that, while 
they provide diploma and certificates (63%; 62 out of 98), diploma supplements and 
digital credentials are more rarely issued by their organisations (the supplements are 
issued by less than one-third, while digital credentials are issued by 14%, 14 out of 
98).  Still,  on  this  matter,  only  15%  (12  out  of  80)  of  the  surveyed  organisations 
intended to issue digital credentials. Europass mobility documents are also provided 
only by a small share of organisations (7%; 7 out of 98). Moreover, the majority of 
respondents (at least 50%) seem to be satisfied with Europass tools and services except 
for  Europass  supplement  template  (40%  of  satisfied  respondents,  6  out  of  15)  for 
which the majority of respondents preferred not to say or did not know how to assess 
such tool (60%, 9 out of 15).  

Efficiency 

Users and non-users 

On average, 19% of users have encountered problems, challenges or issues when using 
Europass services and information, with some differences at the level of the tools. The 
tools that respondents found more issues when using them are the Europass profile 
(31%;  1007  out  of  3278)  and  the  Europass  CV  or  cover  letter  (31%;  1022  out  of 
3315).79  Most  of  the  problems  encountered  by  users  were  due  to  issues  when 
registering on the platform (39%; 1328 out of 337180), technical problems (37%; 1254 
out of 3371) followed by the difficulty of navigating through the platform and finding 
the information needed (34%; 1156 out of 3371). Other prominent problems include 

79 for both statistics the total of respondents is the number of those who stated using the tool or service 

80 The basis 3371 corresponds to the total number of respondents that across the different tools have faced the different 

issues. 

107 

 
 
 
the lack of practical information on how to use the tools and services (30%; 996 out 
of 3371) and the fact that the content was hard to understand (19%; 634 out of 3371).  

Relevance 

Users and non-users 

The relevance of Europass is clear for users and non-users who, in their daily life, need 
to  undertake  specific  tasks  regarding  job,  education  or  training  applications  or  to 
provide proof of their qualifications. Reflecting on their skills to understand needs and 
interests is very important to them (90%; 6849 out of 7647 consider it very important 
or  somewhat  important).  Equally,  developing  a  CV,  resume  and  cover  letter  is  a 
relevant  task for the vast majority of them (87%;  6589 out  of 7647), together with 
providing certification of skills and qualifications using digital credentials (79%; 6031 
out of 7647) and using tools that help to assess digital skills (73%; 5541 out of 7647). 
For individuals, Europass is highly valued thanks to its platform bringing together a 
set of services to carry out all these tasks. Besides these services, the platform also 
represents an important source of information concerning the European Qualifications 
framework as well as learning/job opportunities.  

Employers  

When  hiring  new  recruits,  employers  sometimes  find  it  challenging  to  verify  the 
authenticity  of  the  qualifications  (59%;  65  out  of  109)  and  to  compare  skills  and 
qualifications acquired by candidates in another country (54%; 59 out of 109). This 
shows that Europass tools are also relevant for this type of stakeholder. Understanding 
candidates’ CVs, careers, and accomplishments does not seem to be an issue to this 
group (64%, 70 out of 109, stated it is either never difficult or rarely difficult to do 
that  when  hiring  new  recruits),  and  companies  highly  value  the  documentation  on 
skills  and qualifications  acquired through learning/professional  experiences in  their 
CVs, resume or cover letter. Verifying the authenticity of certificates, diplomas and 
qualifications is  also  considered very important (71%, 77 out  of 109), followed by 
understanding the level of digital skills (61%; 67 out of 109). In addition, more than 
one-third of employers asks applicants for evidence of their qualifications but noticed 
some  mismatch  between  expected  skills  and  the  ones  shown  while  working  in  the 
company. This shows that presentation and understanding of personal information (i.e. 
skills and qualifications) reported by candidates remains important for employers. The 
relevance of the Europass platform is widely recognised because it centralises a set of 
services benefitting employers in their recruitment processes. Moreover, employers 
believe that it is important to provide jobseekers and learners with information about 
job opportunities across Europe (94%; 102 out of 109).  

Education and training providers 

Education  and  training  providers’  needs  are  very  similar  to  the  employers’  ones. 
Indeed, when selecting applicants, they often or sometimes find it challenging to verify 
the authenticity of the information provided (61%; 60 out of 98) and compare skills 
and qualifications acquired by the applicant in another country (59%; 58 out of 98). 
They usually ask applicants to provide evidence of their qualifications (40%; 39 out 
of  98  always).  Half  of  respondents  have  noticed  mismatches  between  a  student’s 
expected  skills  and  those  shown  during  the  educational  activity.    For  this  half  of 
respondents,  it  is  very  relevant  to  be  able  to  provide  certain  information  and 
documentation after a student/learner has finished the education course. In particular, 

108 

 
 
they consider either very important or important the description of the new education 
activity in the CV, resume or cover letter (81%; 79 out of 98), the information on the 
learner’s digital skills (73%; 71 out of 98) and the information on the learning outcome 
of qualifications (73%; 71 out of 98). For education and training providers, finding all 
such services and information in one digital environment is also paramount.  

Interviews 

For the purpose of this evaluation, 72 interviews have been carried out with relevant 
stakeholders across three levels: EU-institutions (13), national-level public institutions 
(43),  and  social  partners  (16).  National-level  interviews  were  conducted  with 
stakeholders  from  Portugal,  Finland,  Italy,  Germany,  Belgium,  Greece,  Latvia, 
Netherlands,  Romania,  Spain,  Estonia,  Sweden,  France,  Poland,  Luxembourg, 
Lithuania,  Ireland,  Austria,  Hungary,  Denmark,  Slovenia,  Malta,  Slovakia  and 
Norway.  These  stakeholders  included  employment  ministries,  public  employment 
agencies, education ministries and VET providers, qualification authorities and public 
institutions  and  EU  initiatives  present  at  national  level.  Interviewed  social  partners 
included  business  trade  associations,  universities  admitting  international  profiles, 
organisations linked to education and mobility at EU, national or cross-border levels, 
trade associations, trade unions and private employment services. These stakeholders 
covered  the  following  countries:  Finland,  Sweden,  Netherlands,  Turkey,  Germany, 
Spain, Luxembourg and a few were EU wide.      

Effectiveness 

Overall,  Europass  is  seen  as  effective  in  enhancing  the  transparency  of  skills  and 
qualifications through its tools and services. The majority of interviewed stakeholders 
at the national level, however, pointed out the limitation that the Europass platform 
has  yet  to  clearly  communicate  the  benefits  of  Europass  for  end-users  and  other 
relevant  stakeholders.  Technical  issues  are  also  often  raised  as  an  area  for  future 
improvement.    

In the view of EU level stakeholders, Europass is mainly used by end-users to present, 
document and communicate their skills and qualifications in a structured way across 
the EU. For these interviewees, Europass also supports the implementation of other 
European policies and priorities (e.g. EU mobility programmes, such as Erasmus+). 
Interviews at this level also found that Europass particularly supports labour mobility 
in Europe by providing access to the tools and services. However, these interviewees 
remarked  that  the  Europass  platform’s  visibility  still  needs  to  be  improved  once 
current technical issues are fixed.  

Similar findings were encountered for national level stakeholders. These interviewees, 
however, emphasised that the lack of accessibility of the platform (e.g. to less digitally 
skilled  users)  and  its  unresolved  technical  issues  (e.g.  slow-loading  pages,  broken 
links,  issues  with  drop-down  menus)  are  still  halting  the  uptake  of  Europass,  thus 
hindering  its  effectiveness.  National  stakeholders,  therefore,  believe  that  the 
increasing  complexity  of  Europass  –  through  constant  development,  complex 
language and expansion of digital tools - makes it harder for those with low levels of 
digital  skills  and/or  education  to  benefit  from  it  fully.  According  to  most  of  the 
stakeholders, this significantly affects the uptake of Europass tools and services - a 
key  indicator  of  its  effectiveness.  They  further  suggest  that  the  European 
Commission’s communication campaigns on the Europass platform should be adapted 

109 

 
 
to  different  groups  of  relevant  stakeholders  (e.g.  profession-specific  companies, 
education and training providers of different qualifications levels).  

Social partners were generally unaware of Europass promotion campaigns conducted 
in their countries. They suggested that further promotion should also be done within 
the private business sector. Interviewed social partners did not share any views on the 
effectiveness of Europass.  

Efficiency 

Stakeholders  at  all  levels  emphasised  that  while,  in  principle,  the  integration  of 
Europass services with the 2018 Europass Decision was considered as efficient and 
found  to  reduce  burden,  views  were  mixed  when  it  comes  to  the  efficiency  of  the 
Europass implementation.  

Interviewees at the EU level stated that the new Europass increases the interoperability 
of different  EU tools and Europass.  The Europass  platform gathers all the relevant 
tools and services under one platform, but it also links them to each other, allowing 
more efficient delivery of all the EU services.  

National level stakeholders confirmed the importance of integrating services but also 
pointed out a few limitations. Most interviewees stated that the Europass platform is 
becoming  too  complex  and  that  some  key  components  (CV,  cover  letter,  etc.)  go 
almost  unnoticed.  These  stakeholders  believe  that  before  adding  any  new  features, 
current tools and services should be made more functional, visible and understandable. 
According to these interviewees, technical difficulties (e.g. two-factor authentication) 
lead to lower uptake of the Europass tools and services, increasing the burden for end-
users and relevant stakeholders to take up the offer. Some of these stakeholders also 
mentioned  that  personnel  turnover  within  the  European  Commission  impacted 
communication and coordination. NECs also asked for more transparency during the 
Europass Advisory Group meetings, especially regarding the budget. It was pointed 
by  6  interviewees  from  NECs  that  there  should  be  transparency  over  the  budget 
allocated to develop and implement specific Europass tools and services. According 
to these national level stakeholders, discussions during the Europass Advisory Group 
should  address  the  use  of  resources  to  more  efficiently  deliver  specific  tools  and 
services.  Most  NECs  strongly  emphasise  that  the  current  resource  allocation  is 
insufficient  to  implement  the  tasks  envisioned  in  the  new  Decision.  These 
interviewees state that to ensure efficient implementation of Europass at the national 
level,  the  personnel  budget  within  the  NECs  needs  to  be  increased.  Besides,  these 
stakeholders  also  state  that  the  time  they  are  given  to  conduct  activities,  such  as 
dissemination  and  promotion  campaigns,  needs  to  be  longer.  The  lack  of  time  to 
perform the activities causes additional burdens and reduces efficiency.  

Interviewed social partners did not share their views on the efficiency of Europass.  

Coherence 

Stakeholders at the EU and national levels level recognised the coherence of Europass 
with  other  EU  instruments  and  policies  while  views  about  coherence  with  national 
level tools were mixed. They positively mentioned the decision to bring all the pre-
existing and new tools into one coherent platform and align the new Europass with 
several EU policies and priorities. 

110 

 
 
According to interviews at the EU level, Europass, which is part of the European Skills 
Agenda, is strongly aligned and Europe’s Digital Strategy. This enforced the evolution 
of Europass from a platform with five document templates to a ‘’one-stop-shop’’ offer 
for labour and learning mobility – thus, enhancing internal coherence by providing a 
consolidated  offer  and  external  coherence.  These  stakeholders  further  positively 
mentioned the strong synergy with both EQF and EURES.  

National-level  stakeholders  emphasised  that  by  bringing  all  the  tools  together, 
Europass increased the visibility of certain tools to citizens previously less visible to 
this  stakeholder  group  (i.e.  EQF).  However,  stakeholders  at  the  national  level 
expressed  the  need  to  integrate  the  Europass  tools  and  services  into  national-level 
initiatives related to learning and labour mobility within the country. The interviews 
produced mixed evidence regarding the duplication of services between Europass and 
national  alternatives.  In  some  countries  (e.g.  France,  Sweden),  there  are  some 
duplication concerns, whereas in others (e.g. Portugal, Italy, and Romania), Europass 
complements national initiatives without duplication.  

Interviewed social partners did not share their views on the coherence of Europass.  

EU added value 

The interviews at all levels acknowledged the EU-added value of Europass.  

EU  level  stakeholders  found  that  Europass  has  proven  to  be  a  concrete  tool  for 
standardising information about skills, qualifications and competencies at the EU and 
national  levels.  It  contributes  to  increasing  transparency  and  reducing  the 
fragmentation in skills recognition across Member States.  

Stakeholders at  the national  level  stated  that Europass  - combining  all the relevant 
tools and services on information and documentation of skills and qualifications - has 
benefited  mobility  within  the  EU.  These  interviewees  positively  mentioned  that, 
through Europass, citizens can obtain information on learning and work opportunities, 
enable their skills and qualifications to be easily validated and recognised across the 
EU, and, thus, more easily move abroad. Some stakeholders further highlighted that 
Europass also has a crucial role in standardising tools and services, thus facilitating 
mobility within the country whenever labour policies differ from region to region (e.g. 
Italy and Spain). In other national contexts (e.g. Latvia), however, stakeholders stated 
that Europass fills a significant gap in the market, given that there are no equivalent 
alternatives, neither at the public nor the private sector level.  

Interviewed  social  partners  also  stated  that  the  information  and  guidance  on  job 
opportunities offered on the platform should be more detailed and should provide more 
profession-specific information to increase its attractiveness.  

Relevance 

Overall,  stakeholders  confirmed  the  relevance  of  Europass  services  regarding  job 
opportunities,  lifelong  learning,  learning  mobility,  guidance  on  skills,  digital  skills 
self-assessment and reducing the fragmentation between skills and qualification tools 
by  providing  standardised  Europass  supplements  and  CV  templates.  Interviewees 
considered the increasing transparency of skills and the comparability of qualifications 
to  be  the  most  relevant  need  currently  being  addressed  by  Europass. However,  the 
views  of  national-level  stakeholders  showed  mixed  results  when  it  comes  to  the 
relevance of Europass. 

111 

 
 
EU level stakeholders, however, also pointed out some limitations of the current offer 
that  still  need  to  be  improved  to  make  Europass  more  relevant  to  end-users  and 
relevant stakeholders. Stakeholders flagged that the tools and information provided on 
the platform are currently not tailored to any specific stakeholder group  – thus, not 
adapted  to  the  specific  needs  of  the  various  types  of  end-users.  According  to  the 
interviews,  there  is  a  lack  of  understanding  of  who  is  the  key  target  audience  of 
Europass. This lack of clarity on who are the end users and their specific needs affects 
the relevance of the Europass platform and its components. Interviewees also pointed 
out that the information provided on job and learning opportunities is not up-to-date 
and thorough, which, according to EU level stakeholders, limits the extent to which 
these tools remain relevant to end-users. 

National  level  stakeholders also  recognise  the  relevance  of  the  platform's  job  and 
learning  opportunity  sections.  When  it  comes  to  job  opportunities,  stakeholders 
believe that the interoperability with EURES makes these tools even more relevant. 
Several of these interviewed stakeholders, however, point out the limitation that these 
services related to job and learning opportunities are not yet widely used by end-users. 
Similar  to  the  EU  level  stakeholders,  most  of  the  interviewees  commented  on  the 
completeness  of  the  information  provided  under  the  job  opportunity  service  of  the 
Europass platform. Another highlighted issue by most of the interviewed stakeholders 
that limits the tool’s relevance is the language in which job opportunities are posted 
and the lack of synergy with some national databases (e.g. Slovenia). Regarding the 
European Digital Credentials for Learning, interviews produced mixed evidence. Most 
stakeholders at the national level confirmed that there would be growing interest and 
demand  for  European  Digital  Credentials  for  Learning  in  the  future.  Some 
interviewees were, however, slightly reluctant to use European Digital Credentials for 
Learning as they believe it is too early to introduce new standards on digital credentials 
in their national contexts. In some countries, public institutions are not ready to take 
up  digital  credentials  (e.g.  France).  Most  of  these  stakeholders  also  see  the  self-
assessment tool for digital skills positively, but a few remark that in some Member 
States, it will compete closely with national alternatives (e.g. France).  

Social  partners also  recognised  the  relevance  of  Europass.  This  was  observed, 
especially regarding the new Europass platform offering stakeholders a one-stop-shop 
solution. At the same time, these stakeholders also remarked that the information and 
guidance  on  job  opportunities  offered  on  the  platform  are  not  detailed  enough  and 
should  be  more  profession-specific  to  increase  its  attractiveness.  One  of  the 
interviewed  business  trade  associations  considered  the  learning  opportunity  area 
difficult  to  navigate.  Some  of  the  social  partners,  such  as  education  and  training 
providers, think the platform is too complex and have difficulties to see the benefit of 
its tools and services – these stakeholders opt for alternative market solutions. Social 
partners  added  that  international  and  intercultural  skills  are  well  recorded  through 
Europass, which, in their view, facilitates mobility (both for learning and working). 
These interviewees also commented that - through the improvement of cross-border 
mobility - Europass further develops EU integration. 

Qualitative observations 

Overall, 16 participants completed the qualitative observations across four countries: 
Spain (5), Estonia (4), Croatia (4), and Norway (3). The sample observed consisted of 
individuals between 19 and 36 years old who have never used the Europass tools and 

112 

 
 
linked  services  and  who  had  a  mixed  educational  background  and  level  of  digital 
skills. Participants in the qualitative observation were selected from the user survey 
who indicated that they have never used the Europass platform before and consented 
to  participate  in  the  study.  The  sample  consisted  of  12  female  and  four  male 
participants, with secondary or tertiary education varying across several occupational 
categories, such as employed, seeking employment, and student. The sample consisted 
of three participants between the ages of 18-24, four participants between the ages of 
25-29 and nine participants between the ages of 30-36.  

Effectiveness 

Although  non-users  participating  in  the  observations  found  the  Europass  platform 
relevant,  participants  further  provided  insights  into  the  effectiveness  of  its 
implementation. While the qualitative observations only assessed the experiences of 
end 
non-users, 
users' retention level, 
users, 
and satisfaction with the Europass tools and services. In this regard, the findings of  
all 16 observations revealed mixed results on effectiveness of Europass. 

highlighted 
overall uptake of 

observations 
the 

issues 
platform 

affecting 
by 

key 
the 

these 

When it comes to retention, the main challenges were two-fold. First, the two-factor 
authentication posed the biggest challenge to participants using the Europass platform, 
including those who are younger and have completed some form of higher education. 
Even  among  these  groups,  the  two-factor  authentication  proved  challenging  and 
discouraging.  Second,  the  qualitative  observations  showed  that  all  16  non-users 
participating in the observations find the platform complex and time-consuming due 
to the additional steps needed to log in and the technical problems they often face on 
the platform. The qualitative observations also showed that the platform could be more 
intuitive to  navigate for  new users.  Internal  server errors often occurred  during the 
qualitative observations  (e.g., broken links, homepage not working), hampering the 
user experience and affecting the willingness to stay on the platform. 

Regarding users' overall uptake of the platform, the qualitative observations revealed 
that limitations to the platform prevented participants from considering taking up the 
Europass tools and services in the future. While participants greatly appreciated the 
Europass  CV  and  cover  letter  builder  and  the  ability  to  store  their  documents  on  a 
single platform, technical issues, such as malfunctioning of key pages and sections of 
the  platform,  forced  participants  to  disengage  from  the  platform  (e.g.  participants 
noted  that  the  website  was  not  always  working  due  to  internal  server  errors  or 
otherwise experienced broken links when navigating across sections of the website. 
Furthermore, participants faced issues with translations, drop-down menus, and slow-
loading pages, among other technical problems that made the platform harder to use). 
This influenced their perception on how they consider using the Europass platform in 
the future. Participants were unsure how Europass could help them achieve their career 
and  learning  goals.  The  features,  tools,  and  functions  available  on  the  Europass 
platform  were  not  always  clear  to  participants.  For  instance,  while  participants 
hypothesised on the potential value of the digital skills self-assessment, My Interests, 
and My Skills, they were not  entirely sure how these features could be used in  the 
future. Participants explained that technical improvements in the Europass platform 
would  lead  them  to  find  a  clear  benefit  of  the  Europass  tools  and  services. 
Furthermore, the qualitative observations revealed that uptake was inconsistent across 
tools and age groups. According to participants, the Europass profile/CV template was 

113 

 
 
more important for recent graduates and early career professionals as it supports them 
in  describing their skills  and qualifications in  a  structured way.  As mentioned, this 
kind of support was not found to be relevant among the participants that have a stable 
employment or otherwise extensive experience in preparing resumes and cover letters. 

EU added value 

Finally, the Europass platform represented added value to non-users participating in 
the observations by providing equal opportunities and a unified way of competing in 
the  European  labour  market.  According  to  6  participants,  Europass  allows  them  to 
present their CVs in a standardised way and to have access to information on job and 
learning opportunities. On the other hand, the Europass platform might only benefit 
end users in the later stages of their careers if they seek opportunities more broadly 
across the European Union. 4 participants mentioned that if they wish to stay in their 
current country of residence or already have a country in mind where they would like 
to work, they will opt to use national (e.g., country-specific job vacancy websites) or 
private solutions (e.g., LinkedIn) when searching for a job. 

While all participants see the additional value of Europass  for society compared to 
alternative  national  public  and  international  private  solutions,  the  platform  is  not 
always  able  to  respond  to  individual  needs.  All  16  participants  in  qualitative 
observations  said  they  would  prefer  to  use  alternative  solutions  (e.g.,  national  job 
boards, LinkedIn, Indeed) instead of Europass due to the platforms' limitations and 
technical issues. 

Relevance 

The qualitative observations identified a strong need among non-users participating in 
the observations for information and guidance on job and learning opportunities across 
the European Union, making the platform highly relevant among this target group. 
Participants expressed the need to have access to information and guidance on job and 
learning  opportunities  and  to  use  it  for  their  career  goals.  During  the  qualitative 
observations,  participants  mentioned  that  information  regarding  job  and  learning 
opportunities across Europe is available through different national public and private 
initiatives,  which  makes  it  difficult  to  know  where  to  find  relevant  information 
according to their needs. Europass provides tools and services in one platform which 
was regarded as an additional element of its relevance. However, the relevance of the 
Europass platform differed among participants for two reasons: mobility interests and 
the career stage of users.  

First, participants interested in seeking opportunities across the European Union found 
the Europass platform relevant because it offers them a single platform to access job 
opportunities  and  information  about  moving  within  and  to  the  European  Union. 
However,  participants  wishing  to  stay  in  their  country  of  residence  mentioned  that 
they would not consider the Europass platform a relevant source of information and 
guidance  on  job  opportunities.  In  these  cases,  participants  preferred  to  look  for 
national-level  platforms  and  solutions  to  obtain  more  reliable  and  comprehensive 
information about job opportunities in a particular country.  

Second,  the  qualitative  observations  also  highlighted  how  the  need  for  information 
and guidance on job opportunities provided by the platform might differ depending on 
what  stage  participating  non-users  are  in  their  careers.  According  to  participants, 
Europass responds to the needs of recent graduates and job seekers entering a labour 

114 

 
 
market to a large extent. While the Europass platform offers the same services to all 
users,  the  qualitative  observations  revealed  that  recent  graduates  and  early  career 
professionals are more likely to find the platform tools and services relevant. This is 
because the ability to track and present their experiences, qualifications, and skills in 
a structured manner and look for job openings in a single platform is highly attractive 
to users with less experience managing their careers. On the other hand, participants 
in a later stage of their careers explained that it was unlikely that they would use the 
platform in the future because they already have a stable employment status, are less 
in need of labour and learning mobility opportunities, or because they have a CV and 
cover letter template that they trust.  

115 

 
 
 
 
 
ANNEX  VI.  MAIN  CHANGES  TO  EUROPASS  AND  EVOLUTION  OVER  THE  EVALUATION 
PERIOD  

This annex makes a comparison between the previous and current Europass platforms. In 
this context, Table 10 “Evolution of Europass, its components and governance” shows that 
the previous and current Europass platforms are not fully comparable. 

116 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Table 10: Evolution of Europass, its components and governance 

Tool/service/ action   Before 2018  
PLATFORM AND DOCUMENTS 

Europass 2018 Decision  

Changes implemented so far 

Further changes expected  

Europass platform/ 
e-Portfolio  

No e-Portfolio. Website to 
download template as well as 
documents on skills and 
qualifications (CV, cover letter 
and Europass documents). 

Platform encompassing classic Europass 
supplement documents as well as a wide 
range of other features to help learners, 
volunteers, workers and job seekers. 

Article 3 

Transformation into a one-stop shop for:  

- 

- 
- 
- 
- 

- 
- 
- 

recording  all  skills,  achievements, 
and  experiences  of  users  in  their 
Europass profile 
creating a CV and cover letter  
reflecting on skills (MySkills)  
tracking interests (MyInterests) 
job/learning 
qualifications 
applications manager/tracker 
information provision  
self-assessment test for digital skills. 

opportunities 

and 

Information 
provision  

Information was scattered – 
Information on qualifications, 
qualifications frameworks, 
learning opportunities and 
validation was part of the 
Learning Opportunities and 
Qualifications Portal (LOQ).  

This also included a NQF 
comparison tool.  

Data on qualifications and 
learning opportunities were part 
of the Qualifications Dataset 
Register and were searchable 
and visualised in the LOQ 
Portal and ESCO. 

Platform providing information on 
learning opportunities, qualifications and 
qualifications frameworks or systems, 
opportunities for the validation of formal 
and informal learning, and the 
recognition practices and relevant 
legislation in different countries, 
including third countries.  

Three other elements of Article 3.2 of the 
Europass Decision are under 
development:  

3.2 (e) services offering guidance for 
transnational learning mobility and career 
management  

3.2 (f) skills intelligence as produced by 
relevant Union-level activities and 

Upon the Europass launch the LOQ was 
integrated into the new Europass platform 
and the qualifications available in the ESCO 
database were migrated to Europass. 

. 

A new education and training opportunities 
and qualifications search function for the 
Qualifications Dataset Register was 
implemented on the Europass platform.  

A job and volunteering opportunities search 
function was included directly on the 
Europass website (drawing from EURES 
data) and a direct CV-posting feature on 
EURES was integrated into the platform.  

A revamped NQF comparison tool was 
developed. 

Addition of further information and 
learning opportunities and qualifications 
by national-level authorities and NECs. 

Development of the elements of Art. 3.2 
of the Europass Decision linked to 
guidance, validation and recognition. 

Addition of information on skills 
intelligence tailored to user needs. 

117 

 
 
 
Skills Intelligence information 
was available at Cedefop. 

agencies within their domains of 
competence; and  

There was no EU platform for 
information on career guidance 
but a separate website of the 
Euroguidance network. 

Recognition information was 
included in the ENIC-NARIC 
website and in the EU Website 
on recognition of professional 
qualifications. 

3.2 (g) information on skills and 
qualifications that could be relevant to 
the particular needs of third country 
nationals arriving or residing in the 
Union to support their integration. 

Article 3.2 

Pages on different types of content (e.g. 
language skills), country context pages and 
links to other EU initiatives and national 
services were also added.  

Development of the elements of Art. 3.2 of 
the Europass Decision linked to skills 
intelligence. 

Europass CV and 
cover letter 

CV and cover letter editor. 

Downloadable CV and cover 
letter template.  

Document template remains but as part 
of a larger ecosystem of documents and 
services in the e-Portfolio. 

Article 3.1 (a) 

Diploma 
Supplement (DS) 

Exists since 1997. Provided by 
higher education institutions. 

Certificate 
supplement (CS) 

Existing. National CS 
Inventories have been 
developed at national level. 

A ‘Europass Diploma supplement’ 
remains to allow end users to present 
their learning achievements at higher 
education level. 

Article 3.1 (b) 

A ‘Europass Certificate supplement’ 
remains to allow third parties to 
understand the learning outcomes 
achieved by the holder of a qualification 
received via vocational education and 
training. 

Article 3.1 (b)  

118 

Europass CV and cover letter have been 
developed under the Europass e-Portfolio.  

Change of the template, more customisable.  

New ways to share the CV and cover letter. 

The template was updated following an inter-
ministerial agreement in 2018 (the template 
is a joint product between European 
Commission, UNESCO and Council of 
Europe), under the Bologna Process. 

The Diploma supplement template was 
digitalised under the European Digital 
Credentials for learning infrastructure.  

No structural change to the work on the CS 
so far. 

Further roll-out of the use of the digital 
Diploma supplement. 

Possible revision of the CS template and 
its digitalisation in the context of the 
European Digital Credentials for 
Learning Infrastructure. 

 
 
 
 
Europass Mobility    Existing. Provided by the NECs 

Remains an integral feature of Europass.  

in their own database. 

Language Passport  The Europass-Language 

Passport was one of the five 
Europass documents – and was 
based on the Common 
European Framework of 
Reference for Languages 
(CEFR). 

The mobility documents received can be 
stored by the users in the Europass 
library.  

The templates are available on the 
website.  

Article 3.1 (b)  

Acknowledgement of pre-2018 Language 
Passport.  

Recital 10 

Ongoing revision of the Mobility template 
and its digitalisation in the context of the 
European Digital Credentials for Learning 
infrastructure. 

The language passport is adapted into the 
new Europass as a dedicated section 
available on the Europass profile and CV 
editor where users can add their language 
skills and corresponding levels according to 
the Common European Reference 
Framework.  

NA 

Digital skills 
assessment 

A digital skills self-assessment 
grid was available on the old 
Europass platform. 

Skills assessment and self-assessment 
tools are an important part of the new 
Europass. 

The DigSAT tool, a digital skills self-
assessment tool, was created. 

The Commission plans to further improve 
the DigSAT tool with personalised road 
maps and suggestions for further learning  

Article 3.1 (c)  

Digital credentials   Digital credentials were not 

included in Europass prior to 
2018. 

Authentication services for digital 
documents or representations of 
information on skills and qualifications 
are needed. 

Creation of Europass Digital Credentials for 
Learning (EDC) infrastructure with the 
feedback of national-level institutions and 
providers. 

Article 4.6 

Possibility to store the EDCs acquired in the 
Europass library (in a web-wallet).  

Digitalisation of the Diploma supplement.  

Further roll-out of EDC and its standards 
to become generally accepted standards 
for digital credentialing in the field of 
learning, ensuring the interoperability of 
issuing, verifying, and recognition of 
digital credentials across Europe. 

My interests  

Not available in the previous 
Europass framework 

Europass web-based tools should also 
present information with the aim of 

A dedicated web based tool allowing users to 
add their career or learning goals and 

119 

 
 
 
 
 
 
supporting guidance provision, further 
supported by national services. 

favourite cities or countries to learn or work 
in.  

My skills  

Not available in the previous 
Europass framework 

Article 1. 2 

Guidance is described, in part, as helping 
individuals identify their skills and 
interests. 

Article 2 (d) 

Linkage with the 
European 
Qualifications 
Framework 
(EQF)81 

No integration into Europass82.  
– The LOQ portal served as 
EQF Portal. 

Europass platform refers to EQF for 
information on qualifications, 
descriptions of national education and 
training systems and other relevant 
topics. 

Article 4.4 

A dedicated web-based tool allowing users to 
identify their skills in their profiles and 
recommends skills they might already have, 
based on those previously entered.  

The tool also provides a description of skills 
and classifies them according to ESCO  

EQF information page available through the 
Europass website including EQF 
Referencing reports, links to NQF websites, 
links with national qualifications 
registers/databases, NQF comparison tool 
revamped. References to the framework are 
included in Europass tools and services. The 
Diploma Supplement, Certificate supplement 
and Europass Mobility refer to EQF.  

Further development of availability of 
information on qualifications and 
frameworks through the Qualification 
Dataset Register (QDR) and on Europass 
Information pages, as well as better 
integration with information available on 
Cedefop and European Training 
Foundation. 

INTEROPERABILITY AND INTEGRATION (with other tools/services/actions) 

Integration of 
ESCO terminology  

There was no link to ESCO 
prior to the new platform, 
launched in 2020 (ESCO was 
launched in July 2017). 

ESCO could be used within Europass to 
promote the transparency of skills and 
qualifications for education and training 
and for work-related purposes. 

Recital 17 

ESCO terminology is used through the 
different elements of the platform, e.g., when 
entering a work experience, ESCO terms are 
suggested to the user, same in the ‘My Skills 
and My Interest’ sections, and in the searches 
for Jobs and learning opportunities functions. 

Proposal to further test the use of ESCO 
terminology to promote interoperability 
with labour market as well as education 
and training platforms. 

81 Mentioned in this section rather than in interoperability due to the EQF information being hosted directly on the Europass platform and not on a separate one, contrary to EURES for 

example. 

82 The introduction of EQF dates back to 2008 which could explain why it was not included in the original 2004 Europass. 

120 

 
 
 
 
Links with EURES   There was no link to EURES 

prior to the 2018-2020 
transition period. 

Synergies between the Europass and 
EURES platforms could be beneficial to 
job seekers and reinforce the utility of 
both platforms. 

Recital 18 

A EURES job search is already available on 
the Europass platform.  

EURES CVs can now be re-used on 
Europass and Europass CVs can be 
published in EURES. 

Increasing the interoperability of EURES 
and Europass to enhance the utility of 
both platforms (i.e., transmitting 
applications directly from Europass e-
Portfolio to EURES). 

Qualifications and 
learning 
opportunities 
databases through 
QDR 
(Qualifications 
Dataset Register) 

There was no link between the 
QDR and Europass prior to the 
2018-2020 transition period, but 
the QDR was linked to the LOQ 
platform (separate). 

Make information on learning 
opportunities, qualifications, and 
recognition practices available on the 
Europass online platform, including 
through links to relevant national 
websites.  

Article 7.1 (d) 

A courses search function (searching for both 
learning opportunities and qualifications) 
sourced from QDR is available on the 
Europass platform (data is visualised on 
Europass e-Portfolio).  

Data available on the QDR (i.e., 
qualifications, learning opportunities and 
accreditation) is incorporated as a Europass 
component83. 

Expansion of QDR data for qualifications 
and learning opportunities provided by 
countries to cover more countries (all 
Europass countries) and a broader scope 
of qualifications and learning 
opportunities. 

European Learning 
Model (ELM) 

Original versions of ELM 
(ELM v.1) were used on the 
LOQ platform. 

Synergies must be strengthened between 
Europass and other relevant instruments 
and services offered at Union level. 

Article 4.8 

Newer versions of the ELM were integrated 
into Europass to standardise the description 
of learning opportunities, qualifications, 
credentials and accreditation.  

ELM ensures interoperability with other 
EU tools, to ensure interoperability of 
credentials and databases in Europe 

Digital Skills and 
Jobs platform 
(DSJP) 

There was no link between the 
DSJP84 and Europass prior to 
the 2018-2020 transition period. 

Synergies must be strengthened between 
Europass and other relevant instruments 
and services offered at Union level. 

No interoperability changes have been 
implemented so far. 

NA 

Article 4.8 

83 This result was reached by integrating the LOQ platform into Europass 

84 The DSJP was not launched until 2021 which explains why it was not present in the previous period. 

121 

 
 
 
Youthpass  

European 
Blockchain 
Services 
Infrastructure 
(EBSI) 

There was no link between the 
Youthpass and Europass prior 
to the 2018-2020 transition 
period. 

Synergies must be strengthened between 
Europass and other relevant instruments 
and services offered at Union level. 

Article 4.8 

No interoperability changes have been 
implemented so far. 

NA 

There was no link between the 
EBSI85 and Europass prior to 
the 2018-2020 transition period. 

Synergies must be strengthened between 
Europass and other relevant instruments 
and services offered at Union level. 

Ongoing work between Commission services 
exploring technical synergies. 

NA 

Article 4.8 

European Student 
Card Initiative 

There was no link between the 
ESCI86 and Europass prior to 
the 2018-2020 transition period. 

Synergies must be strengthened between 
Europass and other relevant instruments 
and services offered at Union level. 

No interoperability changes have been 
implemented so far. 

NA 

Article 4.8 

MANAGEMENT 

National Europass 
Centres (NECs) 

NECs were responsible for the 
national-level coordination of 
the 2004 Europass Decision. 
They were the main points of 
contact, coordination and 
communication for Europass 
activities in Member States and 
other Europass countries. They 
were also responsible for the 

NECs should coordinate with EQF 
National Coordination Points and 
National Euroguidance Centres to 
enhance their impact.  

Recital 6 

Role of the NECs was broadened, not only 
reaching the target audience but accelerating 
transparency measures at national level. 

Their funding still comes from Erasmus+. 

Further cooperation with EQF-NCPs and 
Euroguidance Centres as well as national 
EURES coordination offices and 
Erasmus+ National Agencies. 

85 The EBSI was not launched until 2018 which explains why it was not present in the previous period. 

86 The ESCI started as an EU funded project in 2016 before being scaled up for the current programming period 2021-2027. 

122 

 
 
  
  
  
  
 
provision of information and 
guidance to ease mobility. 

The NECs were supported by 
Erasmus+ (and predecessors) 
funding. 

General role of 
Member States’ 
Authorities  

Member States had no 
individual tasks, only joint tasks 
with the Commission. 

These included appropriate 
national-level communication 
activities, cooperation with 
services, the facilitation of equal 
opportunities, the involvement 
of relevant stakeholders and the 
protection of personal data. 

Europass Advisory 
Group (AG) 

Did not exist before 2018. 

Member States assumed the tasks set out by 
the 2018 Decision. 

NA 

Member States are given individual tasks 
including the coordination of activities 
related to web-based tools, the promotion 
of Europass visibility, the provision and 
creation of national-level information and 
the involvement of stakeholders. 

Article 7 

The Commission should ensure the 
oversight and implementation of the 
Decision through the creation of an 
Advisory group. 

Recital 32 

The creation of a Europass AG with regular 
meetings. Presentation of progress updates 
and guiding documents.  

NA 

User-centricity  

Less user-centricity was 
required as the pre-2020 
Europass platform mainly 
consisted of a website to 
download templates as well as 
documents on skills and 
qualifications (CV, cover letter 
and Europass documents). 

The 2020 Europass platform should be 
developed based on user-centricity 
principles and by gathering information 
about user requirements, including 
through surveys and testing. 

People with disabilities need to be 
prioritised in terms of access to and use 
of Europass.  

Recital 28 

Source: External supporting study by Kantar 

123 

Creation of a help desk and the integration of 
end user feedback reports in the 
implementation of the platform.  

Adherence to the Accessibility guidelines as 
far as possible (continuous efforts to improve 
the platform’s accessibility).  

Ongoing evaluation of Europass’ ability 
to meet the needs of users. 

 
 
 
 
Table 11 below provides an overview of the features that have already been made available to users with the launch of the new platform in 2020, features 
developed after 2020 and the ones which still need to be implemented.  

Table 11 – State of play of implementation of features in the 2020 online platform 

Features included with the launch of 
the 2020 online platform 

Implemented/ further developed 
after 2020 

To be implemented in the 
future/ In development 

Tools and services  

Web-based tools 

Documenting and describing personal information in 
a variety of formats, including curriculum vitae (CV) 
templates 

Documenting and describing skills and qualifications 
acquired through working and learning experiences, 
including through mobility and volunteering 

Documenting the learning outcomes of qualifications, 
including the Europass supplement templates 

Supporting authentication services for any digital 
documents or representations of information on skills 
and qualifications 

Assessment of skills and self-assessment of skills 

124 

 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
  
  
 
  
  
 
 
  
 
 
  
Available information or links to available information on the following topics 

Learning opportunities87 

Qualifications and qualifications frameworks or 
systems in line with the EQF88 

Recognition practices and relevant legislation in 
different countries, including third countries 

Information on skills and qualifications that could be 
relevant to the particular needs of third country 
nationals arriving or residing in the Union to support 
their integration 

Opportunities for validation of non-formal and 
informal learning 

87 Learning opportunities have been uploaded by 10 countries (BE (nl), FR, EL, NO, MT, PT, IS, IE, RS, SE) since the launch of the new platform in 2020, while three 

other countries (HR, SI, DE) are still in the testing phase. 

88 Qualifications information have been uploaded by 19 countries (BE (fr+nl), AT, CZ, DE, EE, EL, FR, IE, LT, LV, MT, NL, HU, PL, PT, SI, SE, IS, TR) since the 

launch of the platform in 2020, while one country (HR) is in the testing phase. 

125 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
  
 
 
  
 
 
  
 
89 

Services offering guidance for transnational learning 
mobility and career management 

Skills intelligence as produced by relevant Union-level 
activities and agencies within their domains of 
competence 

Creation of an interface delivered in the official 
languages of the institutions of the Union 

Open standards available free of charge, for reuse by 
Member States and other stakeholders on a voluntary 
basis 

An option for users to store personal data such as a 
personal profile in compliance with Union data 
protection law 

Support for and ensuring technical interoperability 
and synergies with other relevant instruments and 
services offered at Union and, where appropriate, 
national levels 

Source: External supporting study by Kantar 

89 The Job and Skill trends tool was launched in June 2023 

126 

 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
  
  
 
  
  
 
  
  
 
  
 
 
 
The  learning  opportunities  and  qualifications  search  function  was  improved  in  June  2023.  Member  States  and  Europass  countries  are 
encouraged to publish data on learning opportunities and qualifications or to keep their data up to date for the countries which have already 
published  information  on  Europass.  While  the  platform  references  link  to  validation,  guidance  and  recognition  resources  in  the  different 
Europass countries, so far, the platform has not produced any new information in these areas. At the same time, the information on learning 
opportunities and qualifications is not fully complete, as some Member States and Europass countries are not sharing information yet. By the 
end of 2022, 10 Europass countries had completed this task for learning opportunities and 19 for qualifications. The missing inputs are expected 
gradually in the next few years.

127 

 
 
ANNEX VII. UPTAKE OF EUROPASS TOOLS AND SERVICES 

In terms of the uptake of Europass, there was a positive trend in the number of Europass page visits 
from 2005 to 201990. No data was collected on the old platform regarding the numbers of individual 
users, given that such a feature was not available at that time; hence site visits represent a proxy. 
However, it needs to be noted that this is imperfect as not all visit results in people using one or 
multiple tools and some users will visit the site multiple times. Since the inception of the initiative, 
the  number  of  page  views  increased  significantly  from  less  than  5  million  in  2006  to  over  30 
million in 2019, as shown in Figure 17. Over time, the old platform helped Europass to be accessed 
by many people, but the exact number cannot be ascertained from the data available.  

Figure 17: Number of page visits on Europass (2005-2019) 

Source: External supporting study by Kantar – estimation based on Data from Cedefop user statistics (2005-2019)  

As regards the usage of tools, looking at historical data (before 2020), the CV was clearly the most 
frequently used service, compared to the European Skills Passport, Language Passport and Cover 
Letter, as it accounted for 93% of the documents generated online, as shown in Figure 18. For all 
tools, except  for the ‘Language Passport’, the increases in  the number of documents generated 
were relatively stable.   

90 In the absence of data on the number of registered users for the previous Europass platform, the number of page 

visits are used as a proxy for usage levels. 

128 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 18: Number of documents generated online (2005-2019) 

Year 

2005 
2006 
2007 
2008 
2009 
2010 
2011 
2012 
2013 
2014 
2015 
2016 
2017 
2018 
2019 

CV 

119904 
728374 
1453950 
2093169 
2807770 
3849150 
5853455 
8239423 
9918501 
12491254 
18309329 
19283241 
21165783 
22170321 
25082536 

European Skills 
Passport 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
351851 
1240661 
1690688 
1920464 
2116412 

Language Passport 

Cover Letter 

7616 
27486 
36301 
44801 
52728 
69724 
79745 
119639 
98182 
144329 
133419 
303727 
346934 
329316 
303016 

0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
349365 
1612077 
1872791 
2030079 
2268666 

Source: External supporting study by Kantar – estimation based on data shared by CEDEFOP 

While  the  Europass  CV  remains  the  most  frequently  used  tool,  the  new  Europass  platform 
launched in 2020 offers more services and tools than its predecessor (for further information on 
the  uptake  of  Europass  tools  and  services,  please  see  chapter  4.1.1  “Effectiveness”).  Although 
some tools and services might be more frequently used by different stakeholders, their value does 
not only rely on their uptake and usage.  

129 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
On the current platform, the uptake varies between the different Europass tools and services, which 
is illustrated by Figure 19, based on the user and non-user survey. The Europass CV and cover 
letter are the best known and most frequently used Europass tools, as confirmed by all the research 
tools. Figure 19 shows that the majority of Europass users (76%) use the CV and cover letter often 
(38%) or sometimes (38%). 

Figure 19 - Uptake of Europass web-based tools and services 

Source: External supporting study by Kantar – based on survey to the general population and to platform 
users 

As shown in Figure 20, slightly more than half of the surveyed users state that they use the platform 
to gather information about qualifications frameworks (36% often or sometimes), guidance and 
lifelong learning (33% often or sometimes) and job opportunities (32% often or sometimes). 

130 

 
 
 
 
Figure 20 - Use of the Europass platform for retrieving information 

Source: External supporting study by Kantar – based on survey to the general population and to platform users 

Figure 21 provides an overview of the number of EDCs stored in Europass wallets between 
November 2021 and July 2023. 

131 

121212242021192022424542433OftenSometimesRarelyNeverDon't knowRetrieved information about qualifications frameworks (European Qualification Framework)Q2.7-How often, if at all, have you done any of the following on the Europass platform?(%; N= 3463; LOGIC: respondents having used  Europass (Q2.3)Retrieved information and guidance on lifelong learning, qualifications and learning opportunities across EuropeRetrieved information and guidance on job opportunities across Europe 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 21 - Overview of the number of EDCs stored in Europass wallets by months and over time91 

Numbers of EDCs in Europass wallets over time

2000

1800

1600

1400

1200

1000

800

600

400

200

0

16000

14000

12000

10000

8000

6000

4000

2000

0

EDCs issued per month

EDCs issued over time

Source: based on Europass user statistics provided by the European Commission 

In terms of geographical distribution, the majority of Europass users can be found in Italy, Portugal 
and  Romania  (in  total  numbers).  As  can  be  seen  in  the  figure  below,  these  countries  also  host 
higher  shares  of  Europass  profiles  when  compared  to  the  total  population.  The  percentage  of 
Europass profiles per country (out of the total population) for Portugal, Romania and Italy is 4.5%, 
1,9% and 1.8% respectively. There are also higher percentages of Europass profiles (out of the 
total population) in Malta, Croatia, Slovenia and Latvia. 

91 EDCs stored outside Europass wallets cannot be accounted for as EDCs are not tracked for data privacy reasons. 

132 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 22 – Share of Europass profiles across Member States over their total population 

Source: External supporting study by Kantar, based on Europass platform data (31 December 2022) and EUROSTAT 
data on 2023 population (1st January, 2023) 

133 

 
 
 
 
 
 
ANNEX VIII. USER AND STAKEHOLDER PERCEPTION OF EUROPASS 

This  annex  presents  figures  on  the  main  advantages  of  Europass,  the  importance  given  to  the 
information and services provided on the platform as well as the users’ perception of Europass as 
a user-friendly and accessible platform. 

As shown in Figure 23, the majority of public consultation respondents (77%) consider as the main 
advantage  of  Europass  the  free  of  charge  provision  of  the  services.  This  is  followed  by  the 
provision of standardised templates and the multilingual features of the platform (66% and 65% 
of respondents respectively). Moreover, 76% of respondents to the public consultation stated that 
they  have  never  used  other  platforms  or  tools  for  the  same  reason  they  used  Europass.  This 
illustrates  users’  trust  in  the  Europass  platform  and  in  services  provided  by  the  European 
Commission. 

Figure 23 - Main advantages of Europass 

Source: External supporting study by Kantar – based on Europass Public Consultation 

134 

 
 
 
 
The  majority  of  public  consultation  respondents  (80%  of  1920  respondents)  expressed  that 
Europass tools and services are either very important or important to them (see Figure 24). This 
positive appreciation applies in particular to information and guidance on job opportunities and 
information on guidance and skills required by the labour market (respectively 83% and 85% of 
respondents found these aspects very important or important). 

Figure 24 - Importance given to the information and services provided by Europass 

Source: External supporting study by Kantar – based on Europass Public Consultation 

135 

 
 
 
 
 
According  to  end-user  survey  results,  accessibility  and  user-friendliness  of  Europass  tools  are 
positively valued by end-users (see Figure 25). The Europass CV or cover letter appear to be the 
most accessible and user-friendly tools, followed by the Europass profile.  

Figure 25 - Share of end-users perceiving Europass tools and services as accessible and user-friendly 

N= number of respondents having used Europass tools 

Source: External supporting study by Kantar - survey to the general population and to platform users 

136