European co-operation in education has led to the development of a number of EU reference tools, among them the European Qualification Framework (EQF), which is currently being put in practice across Europe. The EQF aims to relate different countries' national qualifications systems to a common European reference framework.

Individuals and employers will be able to use the EQF to better understand and compare the qualifications levels of different countries and different education and training systems. It encourages countries to relate their national qualifications systems to the EQF so that all new qualifications issued from 2012 carry a reference to an appropriate EQF level. An EQF national coordination point has been designated for this purpose in each country.

See details under “The European Qualifications Framework (EQF)”