TAIEX workshop on "Harmonization and Mutual Recognition of Health Professionals' Qualifications in Europe" takes place in Chisinau

by Dr Maria Ruseva, SEEHN Executive Committee

A subregional workshop on harmonization and mutual recognition of health professionals' qualifications in Europe took place in Chisinau, on 18-19 June 2013, under the auspices of the SEE Health Network Presidency of the Republic of Moldova. 

The workshop was organized by the European Commission TAIEX Office with the kind support of the Ministry of Health of the host country and the SEE Regional Health Development Centre (RHDC) and Observatory on Health Workforce.

The participants, the SEE Health Network and the local organizers in the Republic of Moldova (Ministry of Health, and the RHDC on HRH), express to TAIEX their gratitude for its support to the multi-country workshop on “Harmonization and mutual recognition of health professionals’ qualifications in Europe”.

The active and constant participation of the Minister of Health of Moldova, Dr. ANDREI USATII in the workshop is highly commended. The workshop was attended by over 50 experts and participants from Austria, Bulgaria, Estonia, Romania and Slovenia, as well as all the South-Eastern Europe Health Network (SEEHN) countries. The workshop highlighted the key significance of the European Commission Directive EC2005/36 examined at the Workshop in relation to the regulated professions (with special reference to medical doctors) and provided a better insight into the legal and practical aspects of its implementation in the EU Members States and the current state of play in the countries of the SEEHN.

This examination highlighted the importance of this Directive in relation to:

• further enhancing the quality of health care and safety of patients in all the countries of the SEEHN, and providing high quality health services to the populations;
• ensuring good quality and competent health care to all people traveling between and to the countries of the SEEHN;
• the appropriate management of the mobility of medical doctors into and out of the countries of the SEEHN.

The TAIEX meeting identified the need for a follow-up to provide a more in-depth assistance to the countries of the SEEHN in this very sensitive area, taking also into account the revision of the above mentioned Directive, currently in the final stages of adoption, and which introduces in particular the very important and sensitive issue of language competency. The meeting considered that an initial step should be the organization of TAIEX expert missions to the countries of the SEEHN.

The TAIEX meeting also discussed the recently initiated European Commission (DG SANCO) funded three years “Joint Action on European Workforce Planning and Forecasting” part of the Action Plan for the "EU Health Workforce – improving workforce planning” adopted by the European Commission in April 2012.

The participants considered that this initiative is closely related to the health workforce concerns of the countries of the SEEHN and recommended that a close relation be established, possibly in the form of Memorandum of Understanding between this EU initiative and the SEEHN, following the positive preliminary discussions with the leaders of this initiative – the Federal Public Service Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment of Belgium.

Following the TAIEX meeting, at the 31st Plenary Meeting of the SEEHN under the Presidency of Moldova on June 20 and 21, a Decision was adopted in line with the conclusions and requests formulated at this present TAIEX meeting.

You can read or download the presentations by clicking below:

Session 1: Health professions regulation in the EU: Modernization of the Professional Qualifications Directive – The European Directive 2005/36/EC on the recognition of professional qualifications (including implementation challenges,  importance of inter-sectoral cooperation, and methodology for the  recognition of qualifications from 

outside the EU)

• Ms. Susanne Weiss, Ministry of Health, Austria 
• Ms. Evi Lindmäe, Health Board, Estonia

Session 2: Experience of the recent EU Member States in implementation the European Professional Qualifications Directive: challenges (including those of intersectoral cooperation and methodology for the recognition of qualifications from outside the EU), lessons learnt and future perspectives.

• Ms. Dora Kostadinova, Medical University, Bulgaria
• Ms. Sabina Trokic, Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, Slovenia
• Ms. Beatrice Nimereanu, Ministry of Health, Romania

Session 3: European Health Professional Document: Key Objectives and outcomes of the HPRO card project

• Mr. Patrick Fortuit, French Chamber of pharmacists

Session 3 (cont.): Role of competent authorities in health professions regulation in the EU Member States. European Health Competent Authorities/EurHeCA: an overview of the genesis, objectives and activities.

• EurHeCA representative
• Selected Experts from EU Member States

Session 4: Role of inter-sectoral cooperation on health professionals regulation in the Republic of Moldova 

• Panel of national experts (Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Labour, Medical University, Professional associations)
• Presentation

Session 5: National approaches, including inter-sectoral cooperation) in regulating health professions in the Countries of the South-eastern Europe Health Network (SEEHN) and its harmonization with the EU requirements, including mutual recognition of qualifications 

• Republic of Moldova
• Croatia

Session 6: Challenges and policy options for the mutual recognition of health professionals qualifications in the countries of the South-eastern Europe Health Network

• Croatia
• Montenegro

Note: Photos are courtesy of the SEE Health Workforce Observatory