Benelux-Baltic degree recognition treaty seeks more members

Experts in higher education from the Benelux countries and the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania met in Brussels on 13 May to celebrate the entry into force of the Treaty on the Automatic Recognition of Higher Education Qualifications, and ministers from the treaty signatory states called on other countries from the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) to join the treaty.

The treaty guarantees that anyone who obtains a higher education diploma covered by the treaty in one of the Benelux countries or the Baltic states is assured that the level of their diploma is automatically recognised in the other signatory countries.

The treaty states: “Within all Parties, automatic recognition shall apply to each higher education qualification issued in accordance with the legislation of one of the Parties”, on condition that the minimum quality of the programmes has been assured and the degrees have been awarded by a recognised higher education institution, in which case “automatic recognition … shall occur without any further procedure”.

This should mean in practice that graduates will no longer face lengthy and costly recognition procedures regarding the level of their diploma.

EHEA states urged to join the treaty

The Benelux and the Baltic states are encouraging other member states of the European higher education area to join this initiative in order to “create an inclusive European higher education space where talent and knowledge can freely circulate”.

Robbert Dijkgraaf, the Dutch Minister of Education said: “Today, with six European countries, we are taking an important step towards fair, mutual, and automatic recognition of diplomas in higher education.

“We warmly invite other European countries to join us, thus making automatic recognition possible throughout Europe. In this way, we strengthen the quality of European higher education and can better compete with the rest of the world.”

Frans Weekers, secretary-general of the Benelux, said: “The desire to expand this initiative to other member states of the European higher education area is a major step forward in our joint efforts to strengthen this space. This will not only facilitate student mobility but also improve access to education and the labour market.”

The ministers of education of many of the signatory countries lined up to praise the initiative and invite other European countries to join the treaty.

Ben Weyts, the Flemish Minister of Education said: “We will always ensure the quality of diplomas, but we want to give more substance to the European Higher Education Area – which still remains too much of a dead letter. This agreement with the Baltic states is an important cornerstone.

“I hope that other countries or regions will join this treaty in the future.”

Minister of Higher Education, Youth Education and Sport in the French Community Government in Belgium, Françoise Bertieaux, said the automatic recognition treaty is a “major breakthrough for student mobility between the signatory countries, facilitating the search for employment for our young people”.

She said: “It embodies the mutual trust that has developed between our countries through the implementation of the Bologna tools. I am pleased that we can invite other member states to join the Benelux and the Baltic states in this innovative initiative.”

Minister of Research and Higher Education of Luxembourg Stéphanie Obertin said the treaty “allows us to contribute to the development of the European higher education space, and I hope that other European countries will follow us on this path,” she said.

Minister of Education and Research of Estonia Kristina Kallas said the treaty “signifies a paradigm shift in how we approach international educational mobility.

“By turning automatic recognition into reality we are not only advancing the principles of fairness and transparency but are also laying the foundation for a more integrated and dynamic higher education community.”

Minister for Education and Science of Latvia Anda Cakša said: “Currently, the Baltic and Benelux countries are the only regions where automatic recognition of higher education qualifications is officially established.

“This multilateral agreement is one of the milestones and future investments that will strengthen the European Higher Education's Area in the long term, thus creating a simpler and more efficient system with a set of unified criteria for the parties involved.”

Deputy Minister of Education, Science, and Sport of Lithuania Agn Kudarauskien said in the context of the ever-evolving landscape of the EU economy, and the growing demand to ensure seamless study and employment opportunities across Europe, it is imperative to devise measures that bolster transparency and recognition of academic qualifications.

She said the treaty “not only streamlines processes but also fosters trust among member states. “In the face of the current geopolitical challenges, such agreements serve as a beacon of solidarity, reaffirming the collective resolve to navigate uncertainties together”.

Minister of Education, Formation and Scientific Research in the German-speaking Community of Belgium Lydia Klinkenberg said the treaty would aid cross-border mobility as “holders of academic titles will no longer have to undergo lengthy recognition procedures, administrative obstacles, and high costs”.

International responses positive

Independent education expert Sjur Bergan, a longtime member of the Bologna Follow-Up Group and one of the authors of the Lisbon Recognition Convention, told University World News he believes the Benelux and the Baltic states Treaty on the Automatic Recognition of Higher Education Qualifications is a “significant step”.

“It will hopefully contribute to deepening cooperation within and between two regions of Europe that each already have long and solid traditions of cooperation within the region and increasingly also between the two regions,” he told University World News.

He said he understands that the Benelux treaty “says more explicitly that for example a first degree in any of the signatories is recognised as a first degree in every other signatory. This is also the gist of the Lisbon Recognition Convention and for that matter the Global Convention but the Benelux-Baltic treaty is, as far as I understand, more explicit about this”.

Bergan warned that the term ‘automatic recognition’ “may easily be seen as promising more than it can deliver – there will be a measure of individual assessment when dealing with applications for recognition”. But he believes “the reality behind the term is important and positive”.

Maria Kelo, director, institutional development unit, at the European University Association (EUA) said the Benelux treaty shows that “where there is a will to make automatic degree recognition work, it can be done”.

“This is very welcome and positive, especially since the realisation of this treaty will provide others, including higher education institutions, with insights into the implications of putting automatic recognition in practice,” she told University World News.

“However, while the adherence of more countries to the treaty will extend its positive impact, EUA calls for actually realising the long-term commitment of the countries in the EHEA on automatic recognition, as well as realising the Bologna Process and its tools in general, which is a crucial precondition for automatic recognition.

“This would make joining treaties or creating new ones unnecessary and would guarantee full, multilateral recognition,” said Kelo,

‘Strong tradition of cooperation’

Bergan noted that in addition to having a strong tradition of cooperation, all states that are parties to this treaty share some key characteristics.

“The countries and also the higher education systems involved are small or medium sized, with a fairly strng international orientation. They are all founding members of the European Higher Education Areas, and they are all members of the EU and hence also of the European Education Area.

“All or at least most have played important roles in the development of recognition policies and practice within the ENIC and NARIC Networks as well as in the implementation of the Lisbon Recognition Convention,” he noted.

He said by relying on the structural reforms of the EHEA, several of the questions a credentials evaluator will ask when faced with a foreign qualification can be answered fairly easily.

“A national qualifications framework self-certified against the overarching qualifications framework of the EHEA and-or referenced against the European Qualifications Framework for lifelong learning will provide a reliable indication of the workload and the level of a given qualification.

“It will also show that the qualification originates with an institution that is considered a part of the education system of its home country and that has been subject to quality assurance according to the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG).

“The assessment can therefore focus on ascertaining whether the profile and learning outcomes of the foreign qualification are suitable for the purpose for which recognition is sought, such as admission to a specific study program,” he explained.

Treaty ‘supplements existing conventions’

At least in the immediate future, he believes, the chances of seeing further countries adhering to this treaty or develop similar new treaties among themselves are greatest between countries with some history of bilateral and multilateral cooperation, which underscores that “such treaties will supplement rather than replace the Council of Europe-UNESCO Lisbon Recognition Convention and the UNESCO Global Convention”.

The idea for the current diploma recognition treaty originated in 2019. The Benelux countries had begun, as early as 2015, to automatically recognise certain diplomas, and the Baltic states had established a similar system. Both regions deemed it wise to extend the system to all six countries. The treaty entered into force on 1 May 2024.