Licensing and quality control regulatory / legislative framework. Legislation and regulation concerning professional qualifications and licensing are of potential relevance to SmartCare, for instance as far as care personnel is concerned. The latter is covered at the European governance level by dedicated Directives, with impacts on existing national regulation/legislation respectively. Directive 2005/36/EC on the recognition of professional qualifications This directive applies to all EU Member State nationals wishing to practice a regulated profession, on either a self-employed or employed basis, in a Member State other than that in which they obtained their professional qualifications. This directive is a response to the 2001 Stockholm European Council's recommendations calling on the Commission to design a more uniform, transparent and flexible system with the aim of achieving the Lisbon strategy objectives. The directive brings together in a single text the three directives on the general system for the recognition of professional qualifications (recognition of diplomas, certificates and other evidence of higher education of long duration; recognition of other diplomas, certificates and other evidence of other professional education and training; and the mechanism for the recognition of qualifications for crafts, trades and certain services). It also consolidates twelve sectoral directives covering the professions of doctor, nurse (Directive 77/452/EEC), dental practitioner (Directive 78/686/EEC), veterinary surgeon (Directive 78/1026/EEC), midwife (Directive 80/154/EEC), architect and pharmacist (mutual recognition of diplomas in pharmacy and qualifications in pharmacy). There are two main European legal instruments covering the mutual recognition of professional qualifications: Directive 89/48/EEC and Directive 92/51/EEC. Directive 89/48/EEC covers the mutual recognition of qualifications in recognised professions that require a University degree or equivalent. Directive 92/51/EEC covers the mutual recognition of qualifications in professions regulated below degree level. They mean that any form of work other than those covered by the Transitional Measures Directive (Directive 99/42/EC, covering crafts and trades people such as hairdressers and construction workers) or the Sectoral Directives (dental practice, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, veterinary practice, Engineering, and architecture - this was the original method of achieving mutual recognition but proved too slow) that would normally be restricted in a ...
