EAHP, in combination with the European Specialist Nurses Organisations (ESNO), has held a meeting with Sophie Weisswange, who is the Policy Officer at the European Commission’s Directorate General Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW) with lead responsibility for the common training framework (CTF) element of the new Professional Qualifications Directive.

The purpose of the meeting was to share current approaches towards CTF formation with the Commission and better understand intended Commission developments in the area.

The meeting discussed legal interpretations of the text of Article 49a of the Professional Qualifications Directive, which sets out the requirements to be met by any candidate for formal recognition as a common training framework under EU law. Discussion also centred on the breadth of professional interest already expressed by numbers of European associations in making use of the tool.

EAHP and ESNO articulated needs for Commission guidance in certain areas to ensure unnecessary or misdirected preparation activity could be avoided. Good practice from other Commission initiatives in the area of professional qualification recognition was highlighted in this respect, such as stakeholder for, and in relation to the development of the European Professional Card.

The Commission reiterated the centrality of labour mobility as the purpose of the common training framework tool and gave an overview of the likely legal process to be followed in respect to an application for common training framework formation.