The European Commission welcomes the formal adoption by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) on 23 April 2008.

The EQF is a common European reference framework which links countries qualifications systems together, acting as a translation device to make qualifications more readable and understandable across different countries and systems in Europe.

It has two principal aims: to promote citizens mobility between countries and to facilitate their lifelong learning. The Recommendation formally entered into force in April 2008.

It sets 2010 as the recommended target date for countries to relate their national qualifications systems to the EQF, and 2012 for countries to ensure that individual qualification certificates bear a reference to the appropriate EQF level.