Recognition of Academic Qualifications in the Western Balkans

Within European Higher Education Area (EHEA), of which all of the Western Balkan economies are members except for Kosovo*, recognition is understood as “a formal acknowledgement by a competent authority of the value of a foreign educational qualification with a view to access to educational and/or employment activities”, as defined by the Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Region adopted Lisbon in 1997, article I, or better known as the Lisbon Convention (LRC), the only legally binding document under the Bologna process.

In all of the Western Balkan 6 economies, higher education institutions are responsible for academic recognition (for the purpose of continuing education) and ENIC/NARIC (NARIC in Kosovo*) centers for professional recognition (recognition for the purpose of employment) - with an exception of Bosnia and Herzegovina where, due to the political system and organization, the situation remains complex and divided among two entities and different cantons, and the national ENIC/NARIC - Centre for Information and Recognition of Qualifications in Higher Education (CIP) which issues opinions, and not binding decisions. 

Besides bilateral and multilateral agreements, the Western Balkan region requires further development in recognition issues – on the one side, in order to follow the developments in the European Higher Education Area and become one of the regional success stories in the long path towards automatic recognition in the whole of the EHEA; but on the other side, to enhance cooperation, mobility and economic prosperity of the region itself. Due to tight economic and cultural connections, the countries in the region are witnessing the rise of the student, academic and professional mobility and obstacles to recognition are, in fact, obstacles to further economic and social development.

It is important to note that while all challenges are somewhat related to both academic and professional recognition procedures, tackling issues regarding academic recognition might be looked at through a separate lens: in most of the cases, HEIs are bodies responsible for academic recognition and given their institutional autonomy, at national and regional level there is a limited amount of binding decisions and tools that might be implemented. In case of academic recognition, the biggest chalenge seems to be the paradigm shift and culture change. As in the region there is a number of non-integrated universities, recognition procedures and decision sometimes take place also at the faculty level. One of the issues that need to be tackled is the lack of coordination between HEIs and ENIC/NARIC centres regarding recognition issues - this might be an area of improvement. 

Western Balkan economies have advanced with the implementation of the Lisbon Recognition Convention, but continuous monitoring of further development would be beneficial to the advancement of recognition in the region. It is important to note that the legislation needs first and foremost to give way to the possibility of automatic recognition. It would be highly beneficial to include the opinions of ENIC NARIC offices and recognition experts when preparing legislation regarding recognition issues.

A consensus on the definition of substantial differences seems to be lacking, as it is not regulated at national level but also as the elements that prevent recognition differ from economy to economy. A paradigm shift in leaving behind the nostrification and the equivalence and fully embracing the concept of recognition is still needed, both within the academic community and the labour market.

Accessibility of information and in language(s) other than national language(s) is another area that needs further progress, as well as the communication between ENIC NARIC offices. 

Another challenge relates directly to the recognition procedures – regarding the documentation that is demanded, in some of Western Balkan economies it seems to still be difficult for students to fulfill.

Time limits between countries vary, but in all countries correspond to the LRC recommendations. In Albania the possibility to submit the application online is a good practice example which largely facilitates the procedures, lowers the costs and the time needed for the recognition decision.

 

 

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