Europass - greater mobility for learning and working in Europe

A standardised dossier setting out personal skills and qualifications, which is free and available electronically in 28 languages, can help citizens find work or receive training anywhere in Europe.

ACT

Decision No 2241/2004/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 December 2004 on a single Community framework for the transparency of qualifications and competences (Europass).

SUMMARY

A standardised dossier setting out personal skills and qualifications, which is free and available electronically in 28 languages, can help citizens find work or receive training anywhere in Europe.

WHAT DOES THE DECISION DO?

The decision establishes a common European Union (EU) framework with the goal of enabling citizens to present their qualifications and competences clearly and easily through the creation of a personal, coordinated dossier of documents (Europass).

KEY POINTS

The Europass is a portfolio of five documents and an electronic folder which can contain descriptions of a citizen’s learning achievements, official qualifications, work experience, skills and competences.

It contains the following elements:

• Europass CV - to illustrate the holder’s skills;
• Europass mobility - to record all periods of transnational mobility for learning purposes;
• Europass diploma supplement - to provide details on higher education courses completed;
• Europass certificate supplement - issued by competent national authorities to describe vocational qualifications;
• Europass language passport - to present linguistic and cultural skills;
• European skills passport - to improve the presentation of a CV by bringing together in one place the educational and training certificates declared in the CV.

The initiative is supported by an internet portal which allows citizens to draw up their own Europass CVs and language passports, and to find out about the other Europass documents.

The Europass should be consistent and complementary with the other instruments that promote European and international mobility, in particular:

• the European employment network (EURES);
• the European network of national information centres on recognition and university mobility (ENIC-NARIC) established by the Council of Europe and Unesco.

A 2013 Commission report found that Europass needed to become more flexible and user-friendly by exploiting the potential of modern technologies. It considered that the current structure should be made a simpler, more target-oriented and up-to-date service.

RELATED ACTS

Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council - Evaluation of the Europass initiative: second evaluation of the Decision of the European Parliament and the Council on a single Community framework for the transparency of qualifications and competences (Europass) (COM(2013) 899 final of 18.12.2013).

last update 22.07.2015