The history of Europass

In 1998, the European Commission and CEDEFOP launched a joint venture known as the European Forum on Transparency of Vocational Qualifications, with a view to bringing social partners and national authorities together to increase recognition and transparency of qualifications.

The objectives of the Forum were:

• to remove obstacles to mobility resulting from lack of transparency of vocational qualifications
• to stimulate dialogue on existing initiatives, instruments and institutions
• to encourage implementation of existing political solutions
• to consider new initiatives.
The work of the Forum resulted in development of:
• two documents (the European CV and the Europass Certificate Supplement)
• a network of National Reference Points for Vocational Qualifications.

Europass also includes three other documents, developed at a European level in the late 1990’s:

• The Diploma Supplement is a document developed jointly by the European Commission, the Council of Europe and UNESCO for use by higher education institutions throughout Europe and elsewhere to complement the diplomas that they award. Its use is recommended in documents such as the 1999 Bologna Declaration and the 2001 Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council on mobility within the Community for students, persons undergoing training, volunteers, teachers and trainers (OJ L 215, 9.8.2001). The Diploma Supplement is becoming more popular within higher education institutions and European states have agreed to make its use widespread (see the Berlin Communiqué of Ministers). The design and use of the Diploma Supplement are closely linked to the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS).
• The Europass Language Passport is part of the European Language Portfolio developed by the Council of Europe, in which language learners can record their language skills on the basis of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
• The Europass Mobility document replaces the Europass Training document, which was established by Council Decision 1999/51/EC and used between 2000 and 2005. Europass Training was a document recording work placement experiences abroad, as part of an education or training initiative. More than 100,000 Europass Training documents were awarded between 2000 and 2004. Europass Mobility has a wider scope, as it can also record academic periods abroad, for example, as well as placements.

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In 2002, the European Forum on the Transparency of Vocational Qualifications was replaced by a Technical Working Group, whose mandate as requested within the Copenhagen Declaration was as follows:

‘Increasing transparency in vocational education and training through the implementation and rationalisation of information tools and networks, including the integration of existing instruments such as the European CV, Certificate and Diploma Supplements, the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages and the EUROPASS into one single framework.’
To tackle this ambitious task, the working group developed a model for the single framework and a prototype website.

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In 2003, following extensive consultation with national authorities and social partners, the European Commission prepared a proposal for a European Parliament and Council decision on a single framework for the transparency of qualifications and competences (Europass). The proposal was adopted by the European Parliament and the Council in December 2004.