EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION OF ESTABLISHMENTS FOR VETERINARY EDUCATION
EAEVE
The EAEVE is a non-profit organization founded in 1988 by rectors and deans/directors of Establishments of veterinary training, with the mission to represent its members, and devoted to harmonize and improve the quality standards of veterinary education in Europe.
ID: 300212020206-59
Lobbying Activity
Response to Promoting Automatic Mutual Recognition of Diplomas and Study Periods Abroad
16 Apr 2018
The European Association of Establishments for Veterinary Education (EAEVE), as the Accrediting Body of Veterinary Education Establishments in Europe, welcomes the Commission’s intention to create European Education Area, in which people can move freely to study and carry out research.
EAEVE recognizes the existing difficulties - with its slow or insufficient implementation, varying institutional practices and lack of uniformity and the underdeveloped mutual recognition at secondary education level - and welcomes the Council Conclusion of 14 December 2017, inviting the Commission, Council and Member States to work on the promotion of cooperation on mutual recognition of qualifications by spring 2018.
However, EAEVE also strongly believes that recognition of qualifications must go hand in hand with assuring the value of the underlying education programmes. Recognition of qualifications should always be based on a sound evaluation, qualitatively and quantitatively, of the education programme.
EAEVE is of the opinion that a precondition for accepting EU-wide recognition of qualifications and study periods is the assessment and harmonisation of learning outcomes. The implementation of a European quality assurance system of education and training at all levels is critical for achieving the goals of a European Education Area that adds value for students, education institutes and society at large.
The veterinary profession is one of the so-called regulated professions in the EU. It benefits from automatic recognition of competences and a minimum level of training is foreseen within the EU legislation (Annex V of Directive 2005/36). Since many years EAEVE advocates the harmonisation of learning outcomes for ensuring the training requirements set in European legislation as well as the need for implementing quality assurance of the veterinary training.
EAEVE and its sister organisations FVE (Federation of Veterinarians of Europe, representing the Veterinary Profession in Europe) and EBVS (European Board of Veterinary Specialisation, representing the Colleges of Veterinary Specialisation in Europe) coordinate their views on veterinary education through the European Coordinating Committee of Veterinary Training (ECCVT – www.fve.org/education/eccvt.php). Together they promote the harmonisation of learning outcomes and quality assurance in veterinary training through the implementation of the European System of Evaluation of Veterinary Training (ESEVT, http://www.eaeve.org/esevt/sop.html ).
EAEVE together with FVE runs this professional peer evaluation system for veterinary educational establishments leading to the establishments’ “Accreditation”. ESEVT is based on the principles of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ESG 2015) and it is the only Europe-wide, profession-specific evaluation system. It sets the standard and promotes harmonisation of veterinary training in the European Union and beyond. That way it also provides assurance to the public that they can trust the quality of graduating veterinary surgeons and the services they deliver. EAEVE calls European Commission to endorse ESEVT and use it as an example for creating a system for harmonisation of learning outcomes and quality assurance of training in other areas of higher education as well.
Further to this, European Commission is recommended to consider the development of a structure to allow regular update of learning outcomes in line with science developments and market needs. EAEVE and all ECCVT members regularly review and, if necessary, update the list of Day-1 competences for graduate which is now used within ESEVT veterinarians (http://www.eaeve.org/fileadmin/downloads/eccvt/2015_2_D1C_Adopted_Annex_5.4.1.pdf). Last but not least we wish to repeat our call to the Commission to initiate the update of Annex V of the Directive 2005/36, which is largely out of date. It should be renewed and based on defined learning outcomes.
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