Recognition of professional qualifications attained in the EU

Policy development
Regulation/Legislation
Poland
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Timeline
  • 2020Approved/Agreed
  • 2021Implementation
  • 2022Approved/Agreed
  • 2023Approved/Agreed
  • 2024Approved/Agreed
ID number
39742

Background

A brief overview of the context and rationale of the policy development, explaining why it is implemented or why it is important.

The Polish legal system required changes and additions regarding the recognition of professional qualifications attained within the European Union. Relevant regulations were introduced, starting from 2015, in line with Directive 2013/55 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 November 2013 on the recognition of professional qualifications and Regulation 1024/2012 on administrative cooperation through the internal market information system (IMI Regulation).

For example, the 2015 act focused on simplifying procedures relating to the recognition of professional qualifications and easing the recognition of qualifications in professions in which there are different training courses in other EU countries.

Objectives

Goals and objectives of the policy development.

The main objective of the Act of 19 November 2020 is to implement the Directive (EU) 2018/958 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 June 2018 on a proportionality test before adopting a new regulation of professions. This Directive lays down rules on a common framework for conducting proportionality assessments before introducing new, or amending existing, legislative, regulatory or administrative provisions regarding regulated professions. Member States should act within the limits of the principles of non-discrimination and proportionality.

The Directive is aimed at identifying mechanisms to ensure proportionality, the legitimate and non-discriminatory nature of the regulatory provisions and the conditions for the provision of cross-border services.

Description

What/How/Who/For whom/When of the policy development in detail, explaining its activities and annual progress, main actors and target groups.

In November 2020, the Act on the principles of the recognition of professional qualifications attained in other EU Member States was amended.

The most important changes include:

  1. ensuring that new regulatory provisions (in this area) are justified, following the principles of proportionality and non-discrimination and indicating the entities to which they apply;
  2. indicating how regulatory provisions comply with the principles of proportionality and non-discrimination;
  3. indicating the procedures and assessment criteria ensuring compliance of the regulatory provisions with these principles (e.g. ex ante assessments of draft regulatory provisions).

In early 2021, the draft Regulation of the Prime Minister on information provided to the coordinator for the recognition of professional qualifications in regulated professions and activities was put out for public consultation. It specifies the scope of the information provided to the coordinator about, for example, decisions issued on the recognition of professional qualifications for the performance of a regulated profession and adopted declarations of intent to provide cross border services. This Regulation also defines the manner and time limits for providing information, for instance, on changes to, or establishing new requirements for, regulated professions and regulated activities.

2020
Approved/Agreed

In 2020, the Act of 19 November amending the Act on the principles of the recognition of professional qualifications attained in other EU Member States was approved.

2021
Implementation

At the beginning of 2021, the draft regulation of the Prime Minister on information provided to the coordinator for the recognition of professional qualifications in regulated professions and activities was submitted for public consultation. On 30 March 2021, the regulation was announced.

2022
Approved/Agreed

On 3 August 2022 the Act of 7 July 2022 amending the Act on the principles of recognition of professional qualifications acquired in the Member States of the European Union and the Act on the profession of veterinarian and veterinary medical chambers entered into force.

2023
Approved/Agreed

On 23 February 2023 the Announcement of the Marshal of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland of 13 January 2023 on the publication of the consolidated text of the Act on the rules for the recognition of professional qualifications acquired in the Member States of the European Union was released.

2024
Approved/Agreed

Previous regulations are in force and no new regulations have been introduced.

Bodies responsible

This section lists main bodies that are responsible for the implementation of the policy development or for its specific parts or activities, as indicated in the regulatory acts. The responsibilities are usually explained in its description.
  • Council of Ministers

Target groups

Those who are positively and directly affected by the measures of the policy development; those on the list are specifically defined in the EU VET policy documents. A policy development can be addressed to one or several target groups.

Learners

  • Older workers and employees (55 - 64 years old)
  • Unemployed and jobseekers
  • Persons in employment, including those at risk of unemployment

Thematic categories

Thematic categories capture main aspects of the decision-making and operation of national VET and LLL systems. These broad areas represent key elements that all VET and LLL systems have to different extents and in different combinations, and which come into focus depending on the EU and national priorities. Thematic categories are further divided into thematic sub-categories. Based on their description, policy developments can be assigned to one or several thematic categories.

Transparency and portability of VET skills and qualifications

European principles and tools, such as EQF, ESCO, ECTS, Europass and ECVET, provide a strong basis for transparency and portability of national and sectoral qualifications across Europe, including the issuing of digital diplomas and certificates.

This thematic category looks at how individuals are supported in transferring, accumulating, and validating skills and competences acquired in formal, non-formal and informal settings – including learning on the job – and in having their learning recognised towards a qualification at any point of their lives. This is only possible if qualifications are transparent and comparable and are part of comprehensive national qualifications frameworks. Availability of qualifications smaller than full and acquirable in shorter periods of time is necessary; some countries have recently worked on developing partial qualifications, microcredentials, etc.

Learners' possibilities of accumulation, validation and recognition of learning outcomes acquired non-formally and informally

This thematic sub-category refers to validation mechanisms allowing individuals to accumulate, transfer, and recognise learning outcomes acquired non-formally and informally, including on-the-job learning, or in another formal system. In case they are not automatically recognised, a learner can have these learning outcomes validated and recognised through a particular process with a view to obtaining a partial or full qualification. This thematic sub-category covers such provisions and mechanisms. 

European priorities in VET

EU priorities in VET and LLL are set in the Council Recommendation for VET for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness and resilience, adopted on 24 November 2020 and in the Osnabrück Declaration on VET endorsed on 30 November 2020.

VET Recommendation

  • VET as an attractive choice based on modern and digitalised provision of training and skills

Osnabrück Declaration

  • European Education and Training Area and international VET

Subsystem

Part of the vocational education and training and lifelong learning systems the policy development applies to.
IVET
CVET

Further reading

Sources for further reading where readers can find more information on policy developments: links to official documents, dedicated websites, project pages. Some sources may only be available in national languages.
Act of 22 December 2015 on the principles of the recognition of professional qualifications attained in the Member States of the European Union (Journal of Laws 2016, item 65)
Act of 19 November 2020 amending the Act on the principles of the recognition of professional qualifications attained in the Member States of the European Union (Journal of Laws 2021, item 78)
Draft Regulation of the Prime Minister on information provided to the coordinator of the system for the recognition of professional qualifications in regulated professions and activities regulated in the Republic of Poland by competent authorities
Regulation of the Prime Minister of 18 March 2021 on information provided to the coordinator of the system for the recognition of professional qualifications in regulated professions and activities (...) (Journal of Laws 2021, item 580)
Act of 7 July 2022 amending the Act on the principles of recognition of professional qualifications acquired in the Member States of the European Union and the Act on the profession of veterinarian and veterinary medical chambers (Journal of Laws 2022, it
Announcement of the Marshal of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland of 13 January 2023 on the announcement of the consolidated text of the Act on the rules for the recognition of professional qualifications acquired in the Member States of the European Unio

Country

Poland

Type of development

Policy developments are divided into three types: strategy/action plan; regulation/legislation; and practical measure/initiative.
Regulation/Legislation
Cite as

Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). Recognition of professional qualifications attained in the EU: Poland. In Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). Timeline of VET policies in Europe (2024 update) [Online tool].

https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/tools/timeline-vet-policies-europe/search/39742