Overview
Use the table and the filters below to gain an overview of NQF developments in Europe. It is possible to compare countries based on reporting year, stage of development and whether the NQF has been linked to EQF.
| Country | Reporting year | Scope of the framework | Number of levels | Level descriptors | Legal basis/stage of development | NQF linked to EQF | NQF/EQF website | Qualifications register/database |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albania | 2020 | Comprehensive NQF including all levels and types of qualification from formal education and training and lifelong learning qualifications for adults and people undertaking specialised courses for professional development. |
Eight |
knowledge, skills, wider competences |
NQF law (adopted in 2010, revised in 2018) (in Albanian) |
Website | VET register | |
| Belgium-FR | 2020 | Designed as a comprehensive framework; including all levels and types of qualification from formal education and training and from the professional qualifications system. It currently includes vocational and secondary general education qualifications and qualifications awarded through validation at levels 2, 3, 4 and 5, as well as HE qualifications at levels 6 and 7. | Eight | knowledge / skills, context / autonomy / responsibility | Decree on cooperation agreement between the three francophone governments on the creation and management of CFC (2015) (in French) |
2013 | Website | Qualifications register |
| Bosnia & Herzegovina | 2020 | Designed as a comprehensive NQF for lifelong learning including all levels and types of qualification from formal education and training. Open to those awarded outside formal education and training. | Eight | knowledge, skills, competence | Decision of the CoM on the adoption of the baseline qualifications framework in Bosnia and Herzegovina (2011) (in Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian) |
Website | ||
| Bulgaria | 2020 | Comprehensive NQF including all levels and types of qualification from formal education and training. | Eight plus a preparatory level | knowledge, skills, competences (personal and professional) | Decision No 96 of the CoM on the NQF (2012) |
2013 | ||
| Croatia | 2020 | Designed as a comprehensive NQF including all levels and types of qualification from formal education and training. It is a qualification and credit framework. | Eight, with sublevels at levels 4, 7 and 8 | knowledge, skills, autonomy and responsibility | CROQF Act (2013, amendments in 2016 and 2018) (in Croatian) |
2012 | Website | Qualifications register |
| Cyprus | 2020 | Comprehensive NQF including all levels and types of qualification from formal education and training and from the system of vocational qualifications. | Eight, with sublevels at levels 5 and 7 | knowledge, skills, competence | Decision of the CoM, No 67445 on establishing the CyQF (2008) |
2017 | Website | |
| Greece | 2020 | Comprehensive NQF including all levels and types of qualification from formal education and training. | Eight | knowledge, skills, competence | Law on development of lifelong learning and other provisions (3879/2010) (in Greek) |
2015 | Website | Greek qualifications register |
| Hungary | 2020 | Comprehensive NQF for lifelong learning encompassing all State-recognised national qualifications acquired in general education, HE, and the vocational qualifications in the national vocational qualifications register. | Eight | knowledge, skills, attitudes | Government Decision 1229/2012 on the Hungarian qualifications framework (in Hungarian) |
2015 | Website | HuQF qualifications database |
| Iceland | 2020 | Comprehensive NQF including all levels and types of qualification from formal education and training, including certified adult learning. No qualification linked to EQF level 1. | Seven, with sublevels at NQF levels 5 and 6 | integrated level descriptors include knowledge, skills and competence | No overarching legal basis for the ISQF (its role and mandate are stated in a series of acts and decrees). |
2013 | Website | |
| Italy | 2020 | Designed as a comprehensive framework; it will include all levels and types of qualification from formal education and training and regional qualifications. | Eight | knowledge, skills, autonomy and responsibility | Interministerial decree of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies and of the Ministry of Education, University and Research on the establishment of the NQF (2018) (in Italian) |
2013 major national qualifications from formal education and training linked directly to EQF | Website | The Atlas of work and qualifications |
| Kosovo | 2020 | Comprehensive NQF including all levels and types of qualification from formal education and training and non-formal and informal learning. | Eight | knowledge, skills, wider competences | Republic of Kosovo (2008). Law 03/L-060 on national qualifications (in English) |
2016 | Website | Qualifications database |
| Liechtenstein | 2020 | NQF for vocational and professional qualifications (NQF-VPQ) and NQF for higher education. | Eight | Level descriptors of the NQF-VPQ:, knowledge, skills, competences (professional and personal) | Ordinance on the national qualifications framework of the Principality of Liechtenstein for VET qualifications (2017) (in German) Qualifications framework for higher education (2013) and included in the Higher Education Act and in the Higher Education Ordinance (in German) |
2016 | Website | Supplements (with NQF/EQF levels) |
| Luxembourg | 2020 | Comprehensive NQF including all levels and types of qualification from formal education and training. | Eight | knowledge, aptitudes, attitudes | Law on the recognition of professional qualifications (2016) (in French) Regulation on the recognition of professional qualifications (2017) (in French) |
2012 | Website | Information on secondary education programmesRegister of higher education diplomas |
| North Macedonia | 2020 | Comprehensive NQF including all levels and types of qualification from formal education and training, and vocational qualifications. | Eight, with sublevels at levels 5, 6, 7 | knowledge and understanding, skills, competence | Law on the NQF (2013, updated in 2016) (in English) |
2016 | Website | Register of qualifications |
| Serbia | 2020 | Designed as a comprehensive and integrated NQF, including all levels and types of qualification from formal education and training, and non-formal and informal learning. | Eight, with sublevels at levels 6 and 7 | knowledge, skills, abilities and attitudes | Law on the NQF for Serbia (2018) (in Serbian) |
2020 It was referenced to the EQF in 2020 – now not indicated. | Website | National qualifications database |
| Slovakia | 2020 | Comprehensive NQF including all levels and types of qualification from formal education and training. Includes a sub-framework of occupational qualifications awarded outside the formal education system. | Eight | knowledge, skills, competences | Act on Lifelong Learning (2009) and amendments to certain acts (2012) (in Slovak) |
2017 | Website | National qualifications register |
| Sweden | 2020 | Comprehensive NQF including all levels and types of qualification from formal education and training. Open to qualifications awarded outside the formal education system. | Eight | knowledge, skills, competence | Ordinance (2015:545) on qualifications framework for lifelong learning, including the general framework (in force since October 2015) and the application procedure (in force since January 2016. (in Swedish) |
2016 | Website | Register of qualifications |
| Turkey | 2020 | Designed as a comprehensive NQF; it will include all levels and types of qualification from formal education and training and from the national vocational qualification system. | Eight | knowledge, skills, competence | Regulation on the procedures and principles of its implementation (TQF Regulation) (2015, updated in 2019) (in Turkish) (in English) Regulation on the quality assurance of qualifications to be included in the Turkish qualifications framework (2018) (in Turkish) (in English) |
2017 | Website | TQF qualifications database |