1. This Decision establishes a European framework to support the transparency and understanding of skills and qualifications acquired in formal, non-formal and informal settings, including through practical experiences, mobility and volunteering (‘Europass’).
2. Europass shall consist of web-based tools and relevant available information, including information to support the European dimension of guidance provided through an online platform and supported by national services intended to help users to better communicate and present skills and qualifications and to compare qualifications.
3. Europass shall be targeted at:
(a)
individual end-users, such as learners, job seekers, workers and volunteers, and
(b)
relevant stakeholders, such as education and training providers, guidance practitioners, employers, public employment services, social partners, youth work providers, youth organisations and policy makers.
4. The use of Europass shall be voluntary and shall not impose any obligations or confer any rights other than those defined in this Decision.
Article 2 -
Definitions
For the purposes of this Decision, the following definitions apply:
(a)
‘certificate supplement’ means a document attached to a vocational education and training or professional certificate issued by the competent authorities or bodies, in order to make it easier for third persons – particularly in another country – to understand the learning outcomes acquired by the holder of the qualification, as well as the nature, level, context, content and status of the education and training completed and skills acquired;
(b)
‘diploma supplement’ means a document attached to a higher education diploma issued by the competent authorities or bodies, in order to make it easier for third persons – particularly in another country – to understand the learning outcomes acquired by the holder of the qualification, as well as the nature, level, context, content and status of the education and training completed and skills acquired;
(c)
‘Europass supplements’ means a set of documents, such as diploma supplements and certificate supplements, issued by the competent authorities or bodies;
(d)
‘guidance’ means a continuous process that enables individuals to identify their capacities, skills and interests, through a range of individual and collective activities to make educational, training and occupational decisions and to manage their individual life paths in learning, work and other settings in which those capacities and skills are learned or used;
(e)
‘European dimension of guidance’ means cooperation and support at Union level to strengthen policies, systems and practices for guidance within the Union;
(f)
‘qualification’ means a formal outcome of an assessment and validation process which is obtained when a competent authority or body determines that an individual has achieved learning outcomes to given standards;
(g)
‘assessment of skills’ means the process or method used to evaluate, measure and eventually describe, through self-assessment or assessment certified by a third party, or both, the skills of individuals acquired through formal, non-formal or informal settings;
(h)
‘self-assessment of skills’ means the process of systematic reflection by individuals on their skills through reference to an established description of skills;
(i)
‘skills intelligence’ means available quantitative or qualitative analysis of aggregated data on skills from existing sources in relation to the labour market and of corresponding learning opportunities in the education and training system which can contribute to guidance and counselling, recruitment processes, the choice of education, training and career paths;
(j)
‘authentication services’ means technical processes, such as electronic signatures and website authentication, which allow users to verify information, such as their identity, through Europass;
(k)
‘technical interoperability’ means the ability of information and communication technology systems to interact so as to enable the sharing of information, achieved through agreement by all parties and owners of the information;
(l)
‘validation’ means the process by which a competent authority or body confirms that an individual has acquired learning outcomes, including those acquired in non-formal and informal learning settings, measured against a relevant standard, and which consists of four distinct phases, namely identification, documentation, assessment and certification of the results of the assessment in the form of a full qualification, credits or a partial qualification, as appropriate and in line with national circumstances;
(m)
‘open standards’ means technical standards that have been developed in a collaborative process, and have been published for free use by any interested party;
(n)
‘online platform’ means a web-based application that provides information and tools to end users and allows them to complete specific tasks online;
(o)
‘personal data’ means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person.
Article 3 -
Online platform
1. Europass shall provide, through an online platform, web-based tools for:
(a)
documenting and describing personal information in a variety of formats, including curriculum vitae (CV) templates;
(b)
documenting and describing skills and qualifications acquired through working and learning experiences, including through mobility and volunteering;
(c)
the assessment of skills and self-assessment of skills;
(d)
documenting the learning outcomes of qualifications, including the Europass supplement templates, as referred to in Article 5.
The use of Europass tools for the assessment of skills and self-assessment of skills as referred to in point (c) shall not lead directly to formal recognition or the issuance of qualifications.
2. The Europass online platform shall provide available information or links to available information on the following topics:
(a)
learning opportunities;
(b)
qualifications and qualifications frameworks or systems;
(c)
opportunities for validation of non-formal and informal learning;
(d)
recognition practices and relevant legislation in different countries, including third countries;
(e)
services offering guidance for transnational learning mobility and career management;
(f)
skills intelligence as produced by relevant Union-level activities and agencies within their domains of competence;
(g)
information on skills and qualifications that could be relevant to the particular needs of third country nationals arriving or residing in the Union to support their integration.
Article 4 -
Main principles and features
1. The Europass online platform and web-based tools, including their content and functionality, shall be user-friendly and secure and be made available free-of-charge to all users.
2. The Europass online platform and web-based tools, including their content and functionality, shall be accessible to persons with disabilities, in accordance with the accessibility requirements established in relevant Union law.
3. Europass web-based tools shall use open standards to be made available free of charge, for reuse by Member States and other stakeholders on a voluntary basis.
4. Europass web-based tools shall refer to the EQF in information on qualifications, descriptions of national education and training systems and other relevant topics, as appropriate and in line with national circumstances.
5. The Europass online platform may include an option for users to store personal data such as a personal profile. Union data protection law shall apply to the processing of such personal data. A number of options shall be made available to users to enable them to restrict access to their data or to certain attributes.
6. Europass shall support authentication services for any digital documents or representations of information on skills and qualifications.
7. Europass web-based tools shall be delivered in the official languages of the institutions of the Union.
8. Europass web-based tools shall support and ensure technical interoperability and synergies with other relevant instruments and services offered at Union and, where appropriate, national levels.
Article 5 -
Europass supplements
1. Europass supplements shall be issued, in accordance with templates, by the competent authorities or bodies. In particular, the order of each item in the templates shall be respected, to ensure ease of understanding and the provision of complete information.
2. The templates referred to in paragraph 1 shall be developed and, when necessary, revised by the Commission, in close cooperation and consultation with the Member States and other stakeholders such as the Council of Europe and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation to ensure relevance and usability of the supplements.
3. Europass supplements shall be issued free of charge and, where possible, in electronic form. Europass supplements shall be issued in the national language and, where possible, in another European language.
4. Europass supplements shall not replace original diplomas or certificates and shall not amount to formal recognition of the original diploma or certificate by competent authorities or bodies of other countries.
Article 6 -
The Commission's tasks
1. The Commission shall manage the Europass online platform. In that regard the Commission shall:
(a)
ensure the availability and high quality of Union-level information or links to such available information as referred to in Article 3(2);
(b)
develop, test and, when necessary, update the Europass online platform, including open standards, in line with user needs and technological advancements as well as changes in labour markets and in the provision of education and training;
(c)
keep up to date with and incorporate, where relevant, the latest technological developments that can improve the accessibility of Europass for older persons and persons with disabilities;
(d)
ensure that any development or updating of the Europass online platform, including open standards, supports consistency of information and demonstrates clear added value;
(e)
ensure that any web-based tools, in particular tools for assessment and self-assessment, are fully tested and quality-assured; and
(f)
ensure the quality and monitor the effectiveness of the Europass online platform including web-based tools in line with user needs.
2. The Commission shall ensure the effective implementation of this Decision. In that regard the Commission shall:
(a)
ensure the active participation and involvement of Member States in strategic planning, including setting and steering strategic objectives, quality assurance and financing, and take due regard of their positions;
(b)
ensure the active participation and involvement of Member States in the development, testing, updating and evaluation of the Europass online platform, including open standards, and take due regard of their positions;
(c)
ensure that, at Union level, relevant stakeholders are involved in the implementation and evaluation of this Decision;
(d)
set up learning activities and best practice exchanges between Member States and, where appropriate, facilitate peer counselling at the request of Member States; and
(e)
ensure that effective and adequate promotion, guidance and information activities are carried out at Union level in order to reach relevant users and stakeholders, including persons with disabilities.
Article 7 -
Member States' tasks
1. Each Member State shall be responsible for the implementation of this Decision at national level through the relevant national services and without prejudice to national arrangements in terms of implementation and organisation. In that regard Member States shall:
(a)
coordinate the activities related to the implementation of Europass web-based tools;
(b)
promote the use and strengthen the awareness and visibility of Europass;
(c)
promote and provide information on services offering guidance for transnational learning mobility and career management, including, where appropriate, individual guidance services;
(d)
make information on learning opportunities, qualifications and recognition practices available on the Europass online platform, including through links to relevant national websites;
(e)
involve stakeholders from all relevant sectors, and promote cooperation among public and private stakeholders, in the activities under their responsibility.
2. The provision of information to the Europass online platform under Article 3(2) shall not create any additional obligations for Member States.
Article 8 -
Data processing and protection
The measures provided for in this Decision shall be carried out in accordance with Union law on protection of personal data, in particular Directive 95/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (9) and Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council (10).
Article 9 -
Monitoring and evaluation
1. The Commission shall report on progress and expected future developments following the adoption of this Decision, as appropriate, in the context of relevant education, training and employment policy frameworks.
2. By 23 May 2023, and every five years thereafter, the Commission shall submit to the European Parliament and to the Council an evaluation report on the implementation and impact of this Decision.
3. The evaluation shall be carried out by an independent body based on qualitative and quantitative indicators developed by the Commission in consultation with Member States.
Article 10 -
Participating countries
1. Participation in the activities referred to in this Decision shall be open to members of the European Economic Area which are not Member States of the Union in accordance with the conditions laid down in the Agreement on the European Economic Area.
2. Participation shall also be open to acceding States, candidate States and potential candidate States for accession to the Union in accordance with their agreements concluded with the Union.
Article 11 -
Financial provisions
The implementation of this Decision at national level shall be co-financed through Union programmes. The annual appropriations shall be authorised by the European Parliament and the Council within the limits of the multiannual financial framework.
Article 12 -
Repeal and transitional provisions
1. Decision No 2241/2004/EC is repealed.
2. The Europass internet-based information system established by Decision No 2241/2004/EC shall continue to operate until such time as the Europass online platform established by this Decision is set up and becomes operational.
Article 13 -
Entry into force
This Decision shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
