Loophole to be closed on recognition of qualifications

Health and social care regulators in the United Kingdom are welcoming the European parliament's decision to close a loophole which they believe could have posed a threat to patient safety.

Under plans to update existing European rules on the mutual recognition of qualifications, the European Commission had proposed that professionals trained in one EU country should be able to practise in another for up to four months without registering with the necessary authorities.

The legislation, which applies to doctors, …