European Commission calls on Ireland and 13 other EU Member States to fully transpose rules on recognition of professional qualifications of nurses trained in Romania

Today, the European Commission sends letters of formal notice to 14 Member States for failing to notify their measures fully incorporating into national law in compliance with Directive (EU) 2024/505 on the recognition of professional qualifications of nurses responsible for general care trained in Romania. The transposition deadline was 4 March 2025. The Directive introduces specific amendments to the Directive 2005/36/EC on the recognition of professional qualifications. The amendments aim to facilitate the recognition of Romanian diplomas obtained before the country’s accession to the EU by nurses responsible for general care who followed a special upgrading programme. This programme enabled its participants to upgrade their qualifications and meet the minimum requirements set out in Directive 2005/36/EC. Full implementation of the legislation is key to ensure that graduates of the programme can have their qualifications recognised more easily in other Member States. Until now, Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, the Netherlands, Poland, and Portugal failed to communicate to the Commission the respective measures fully incorporating the new rules into national law. The Commission is therefore sending letters of formal notice to these Member States, which now have two months to respond to complete their incorporation at national level and notify their measures to the Commission. In the absence of a satisfactory response, the Commission may decide to issue a reasoned opinion.