Difficulties validating professional qualifications
Many professions in the Nordics are regulated either by the state through law, or through industry standards. Since the requirements differ between the Nordic countries, this hampers the right to free mobility of workers.
Border Isssue Status: Unsolved, Registered in the Border Database
This problem is registered as a border issue in the Nordic Council of Ministers Border Database and has been prioritized by the Freedom of Movement Council. This border issue has been discussed at the highest political level and constitutes one of the prioritized areas in the Nordic Council’s Action Plan for mobility for 2019-2021.
In 2014, the Nordic Council of Ministers commissioned an analysis of ”Lovregulerede erhverv og velfærdsprofessioner” by the consulting firm DAMVAD. This is a report that maps all professions regulated by the state in the Nordic countries. The result shows that the number of regulated professions varies significantly between the Nordic countries: with 171, Iceland has the most professions regulated by the state, Norway has 165, Denmark has 162, Sweden has 91 and Finland has 74. The analysis show that the professions that are regulated by the state cause less of a border issue than those who are regulated by the industry.
Validations means that an individual’s knowledge is formally validated in another country than in the country where this knowledge was acquired. Due to differences in education, the requirement for authorisation or qualifications presents an obstacle for professionals to work in other Nordic countries. Many professions require specific knowledge, either regulated by the state or by the industry, and a set of qualifications that are accepted in one country might not be accepted in another. DAMVAD Analytics estimate that almost 25.000 individuals are prevented from commuting in the Øresund region due to the complex validation process.
