On November 16, 2022, the 10th working meeting of the Project Coordination Group of the European Passport of Qualifications for Refugees (EQPR) was held in Strasbourg.
On this occasion, the results and steps to be taken to ensure refugees' access to education and the labor market were discussed.
Romania, through the National Center for the Recognition and Equivalence of Diplomas (ENIC-NARIC Centre), is one of the 20 partners in the project launched in 2017 to facilitate the integration of refugees, being implemented by the Council of Europe, with the support of the UN Refugee Agency.
The meeting in Strasbourg had as guests and speakers Mr. Villano Qiriazi, Director of the Education Department at the Council of Europe, Mrs. Leyla Kayacik, Special Representative for Migration and Refugees at the Council of Europe, Andreas Wissner, UNCHR representative at the European Institutions in Strasbourg. Representatives of the Italian Recognition Center (CIMEA) also took part and presented the new joint European Union/Council of Europe project "Support for an effective national mechanism for the recognition of refugee qualifications in Italy".
In the conclusions of this meeting, the representatives of the Council of Europe thanked the partners for their continued support and contribution to the implementation of the project and announced that this international intergovernmental organization - the Council of Europe will focus in the coming period on the development of a new legal instrument dedicated to the use of EQPR in the member states of of the Council of Europe and some guidance to the national authorities in order to carry out specific activities to recognize the qualifications of refugees and to strengthen the administrative capacity.
We mention that EQPR was introduced into the national legislation, at the initiative of CNRED, by Ministerial Order no. 3691/5 May 2022 for the amendment of the Methodology for the recognition and equivalence of pre-university level study documents obtained abroad (approved by Order of the Minister of National Education no. 3630/2018) and for the adoption of measures regarding the recognition of the qualifications of the persons who benefit of a form of international protection on the territory of Romania, which also regulated aspects regarding the recognition of the qualifications of all citizens who benefit from international protection on the territory of Romania.
More information about this project is available ► here.
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