Within the framework of the 2022 Council of Europe/European Union Technical Support Instrument (TSI) envelope, the joint project “Supporting an efficient national mechanism of recognition of refugees’ qualifications” will be implemented from 1 September 2022 until 31 August 2024.

In partnership with the Italian Ministry of University and Research, the action will support Italian authorities in improving existing processes for recognising refugee qualifications through the development of a national coordination mechanism for recognising qualifications within public sectors, in and beyond academia.

In 2017, the CoE’s European Qualifications Passport for Refugees (EQPR) was developed to help member States address the challenges brought by the refugee crisis and support refugees to rebuild their lives in their host countries by giving them the opportunity to have their qualifications assessed even in cases of insufficient or lacking documentation.

Since 2017, Italy has participated in the EQPR which has been applied mostly in the academic sector and has also contributed financially to the project. There is a need for mainstreaming it to the other relevant public institutions in order to facilitate its use also in other sectors, as a mean of improved integration of the beneficiaries of international protection in Italy.

Through tailored activities, this technical support will contribute to improving the capacity of public administration bodies to process applications for recognising refugees’ qualifications following the EQPR methodology, and to increasing pathways for refugees in regulated professions.

The action is co-funded by the European Union via the Technical Support Instrument, and implemented by the Council of Europe, in cooperation with the European Commission