An extraordinary meeting of the ENIC-NARIC network on the recognition of refugees’ and asylum seekers’ qualifications took place on the 28th of October 2015, in Brussels.
The meeting was attended by the European Commission, the Council of Europe and ENIC-NARIC centers from 33 countries, including Portugal, and was aimed at preparing an effective response to the growing number of applications for recognition of qualifications that result from the large flow of migrants currently crossing the European Union borders.
The discussion focused on the challenges that higher education systems are facing and on the sharing of good practices that are already being implemented or being prepared by some of the countries involved.
The identified challenges include the lack of documentation of migrants’ qualifications, the lack of standardized procedures for recognition, the impact in terms of resources in recognition centers, and the openness of higher education institutions and the labour market to the new reality.
During the meeting several practices for the reception and effective integration of migrants in destination countries, particularly those related to the process of recognition of their academic and professional qualifications, were presented.
The proposed initiatives for future collaboration include the development of a european guideline manual for the recognition of refugees’ and asylum seekers’ qualifications, and the creation of a "european passport for refugees", an international document that would include, among other relevant information, academic qualifications obtained after the recognition process.
