Qualifications... barrier to mobility?

One of the fundamental principles of Community law is the right of EU citizens to establish themselves anywhere in the European Union.

In the legally guaranteed freedom of EU citizens' right to work, learn or indeed move between different parts of the EU labour market, today spanning over 25 countries, this means that people's qualifications and competencies have to be recognised, validated and accepted by the host country before they can be allowed to exercise this fundamental right there.

In fact, there is no greater disservice to this fundamental freedom of the citizen, than when only professional qualifications of a particular jurisdiction are recognised in any one member state. Indeed, not only are these an obstacle to the Union's fundamental freedoms, but they also essentially disenfranchise the EU citizen. The EU has been fighting these obstacles, with the aim of bringing about in practice what is guaranteed on paper - namely the mutual recognition of professional qualifications in member states. This to facilitate the transfer of qualifications and competencies for academic and professional purposes across the entire EU internal market.

European Commissioner's Jan Figel's initiative last July to launch the Commission Consultation on the European Qualification Framework is yet another commendable kick-start towards the creation of a European framework that will hopefully result in more EU citizens exercising their mobility rights. It will hopefully encourage qualification systems at national and sectoral levels to relate to each other, whilst at the same time respecting and preserving the rich diversity of national qualification systems and education and training structures.

Yet, we cannot pretend that the situation on the ground is all hunky-dory. In reality this area remains even today shackled with barriers. We have to face reality and acknowledge that looking at the wider and more immediate context, Europe is facing challenges to the competitiveness of its economy, sluggish growth in many member states, modest if not inexistent mobility of its workforce, mounting protectionist if not xenophobic tendencies between members, the digital divide as well as high unemployment figures in some member states.

Add to this the fear of native EU citizens of being robbed of their jobs by incoming fellow EU citizens from other members, among which the so-called "Polish plumber" syndrome, and perhaps, closer to home, a potential brain drain that the legally guaranteed right of citizen mobility may be perceived to bring about and, hence, a dissipation of Malta's most prized asset: its human resources.

The result of this concoction of elements may dampen if not render totally ineffective the opportunities that any EU citizen, including the Maltese, would normally associate with the advantages of EU membership.

There is, of course, no easy answer to where the balance lies. However, the Commission is in duty bound to bring to the fore the most burning issues in the context of well-meaning debate and with the genuine interest to propose concrete solutions to real and persistent problems - all this with a view of giving a fresh impetus to a very important tenet of the European integration process.

Europe is for the people and we must not lose sight of the fact that citizens should be empowered to use their qualifications and competencies as a kind of common currency, which can be earned in one setting and spent in another.

Transparency of the rules of the game is key to citizens' empowerment as it is the main safeguard against the persistence of old obstacles and the creation of new ones.

When discussing the subject of mutual recognition of qualifications, we should do so in the wider context of the present and future challenges European countries, particularly Malta, are and shall be facing. The flavour of the discussion should be to find concrete ways on how this area of fundamental EU rights could help Europe overcome the challenges and become more competitive in the global context - rather than simply discussing ways on how we can contain the damage.

It is imperative that things are kept in perspective and therefore fear of disruption of national labour markets should not be allowed to overshadow the discussion. Let us look at this subject as a way of boosting Europe's economic development and of overcoming worker shortages.

And, finally, yes, let us acknowledge and dispel fears and concerns, but let us not use these perceived fears to render a disservice to the creation of a Europe of services, to the fundamental rights guaranteed to the citizens by the treaties, and, ultimately, to people's lives - the very same people who look up to Europe as the "can do" solution to prosperity, freedom and a better standard of living.

Dr Drake is head of Representation of the European Commission in Malta.