33rd Annual Joint Meeting of the ENIC-NARIC Networks
From 24 to 26 May 2026, the National Centre for the Recognition and Equivalence of Diplomas (CNRED), as a member of the ENIC‑NARIC Networks, attended their Annual Joint Meeting in Athens. The event was organised by the European Commission and hosted by the Greek ENIC‑NARIC centre, with the support of the Council of Europe and UNESCO.
Over two days of thematic workshops, ENIC‑NARIC representatives took stock of recent developments in qualifications recognition, with particular attention to digital transformation, the role of artificial intelligence, the recognition of qualifications from vocational education and training, and the prospects for broader automatic recognition of qualifications obtained abroad. Discussions also focused on how the main international legal instruments — notably the Lisbon Recognition Convention and the Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education — are being implemented in practice, as well as on the rollout of the regional conventions covering Asia‑Pacific, the Arab States, Latin America and Africa.
CNRED led its own workshop during the meeting, dedicated to making the case for a shared European approach to recognising qualifications that grant access to higher education. Together with colleagues from Estonia, Norway and the United Kingdom, the Romanian delegate presented the country’s experience, outlined current assessment practices and the main challenges encountered, and highlighted potential solutions that could contribute to shaping a common European framework.
CNRED also took part in a workshop on building a European digital ecosystem for qualifications recognition — an integrated infrastructure designed to make national systems interoperable and to strengthen cross-border trust in the recognition process. CNRED’s presentation traced the digital overhaul it began in 2020, which has taken the entire recognition procedure fully online: from filing documents and making cross-border payments to issuing electronically signed decisions. It also highlighted the centre’s integration with Romania’s Electronic Single Point of Contact (PCUe – SDG), which lets any EU citizen use CNRED services without having to travel to Romania.
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The ENIC-NARIC Networks (the National Academic Recognition Information Centres) now bring together 56 member states and have become a benchmark for good practice in qualifications recognition. They have inspired new regional networks in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, set up under the relevant international conventions.
Established in 1984 under the coordination of the European Commission, the NARIC Network covers the EU member states and supports national authorities in implementing the Lisbon Recognition Convention. It is also a key channel for multilateral cooperation across the UNESCO Europe and North America region, linking up with the other UNESCO regions.
The ENIC Network, set up in 1994 in partnership with UNESCO and the Council of Europe, brings together the signatories of the Lisbon Recognition Convention and plays much the same role as the NARIC centres — together, they form a coherent European framework for the recognition of qualifications.
Romania has been an active part of this international ecosystem since 1995, when the Romanian NARIC Centre was set up under an agreement with the European Commission, as part of the National SOCRATES Agency. As a member of the ENIC-NARIC Networks, the National Centre for the Recognition and Equivalence of Diplomas (CNRED) contributes to the ongoing exchange of information and expertise on education systems, the legal status of foreign education institutions, and the requirements for obtaining academic credentials — at home and abroad.
Publication date: 27.05.2026
