Brussels Moves to Ease Recognition of Non-EU Qualifications

The European Commission this week proposed new legislation aimed at making the recognition of professional qualifications held by non-EU citizens easier across the bloc, according to The Local Italy. The measure responds to what the outlet describes as a common complaint among people who have moved to Europe from outside it: that credentials earned abroad are slow, costly or simply impossible to have validated in their new country of residence.

The proposal sits within the EU's single-market logic, where the free movement of workers is a founding principle but the recognition of third-country diplomas has remained largely a national competence. The Local Italy reports the Commission's stated aim is to simplify that process. The detail of how member states would be bound, and on what timetable, is not yet set out in the coverage.

For Lombardy the question is not abstract. Milan and its hinterland run on imported skilled labour — in pharmaceuticals, advanced manufacturing, design and the financial services clustered around the stock exchange — and the region's employers have long recruited outside the EU to fill specialist roles.