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Trust in quality assurance systems base for automatic recognition of degrees Benelux-Baltic states28/09/2021

The Benelux Union has concluded an agreement with the Baltic States on the automatic recognition of higher education degrees. This agreement already existed within the Benelux since 2015 for bachelor and master degrees and later also for associate degrees and PhD's. The Benelux countries and the Baltic States together now form the only region in the European Higher Education Area in which degrees are automatically recognised. The Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders applauds this evolution.

This agreement guarantees every resident of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania that the level of her/his degree will be automatically recognised in the other country. Complex, time-consuming and expensive recognition procedures are abolished.

The NVAO applauds this evolution. "Our organisation has always been one of the driving forces behind common quality standards at European level and was one of the first to call for automatic recognition of degrees within the Benelux. The mutual trust of the Benelux and Baltic countries in each other's higher education and quality assurance systems now forms the basis for the further expansion of this mutual recognition. We are pleased that the efforts of NVAO now help remove obstacles for those who want to study or work abroad. We hope that other European countries will also join in," say Sander van den Eijnden and Wouter Duyck, Chair and Vice-Chair of NVAO.

PRESS RELEASE BENELUX UNION