Asked by: Lord Moynihan (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the status of negotiations between the UK and European Alpine Nations to allow the qualifications of UK ski instructors to be granted recognition in EU member states.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK and EU have now agreed the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) which came into force on 31st December 2020.
As part of the TCA, the UK and EU have agreed a framework under which both parties may agree arrangements on the recognition of professional qualifications (such as mutual recognition agreements) covering the UK and all 27 EU Member States. The first step towards such an arrangement is for professional bodies or authorities to submit a joint recommendation to the UK-EU Partnership Council. Once an arrangement is adopted under the TCA, UK professionals will be able to use the terms outlined in the arrangement to secure recognition of their professional qualifications, helping them to provide services within EU Member States.
In due course, professionals will be able to take advantage of any profession-specific EU-wide arrangements agreed under the TCA framework. Until this point, UK-qualified professionals who wish to supply services in the EU should seek recognition of their qualifications according to the local laws and regulations of the relevant EU Member State. It is up to appropriate local regulators within alpine nations to determine whether UK-qualified professionals are permitted to practise in their territories.