Europass is a portfolio of five documents designed to make individuals' skills and qualifications clearly and easily understood throughout Europe, facilitating mobility for study and work. Established by Decision No 2241/2004/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on 15 December 2004, it is a European Union initiative aimed at increasing transparency of qualifications and competences.
The Europass framework helps citizens present their learning outcomes and professional experiences in a consistent and easily comparable format across different European countries. It is managed by the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop), which coordinates the network of National Europass Centres in each participating country.
The five Europass documents are:
- Europass Curriculum Vitae (CV): A standardized template for presenting qualifications, skills, and work experience, widely recognized across Europe.
- Europass Language Passport: A self-assessment tool for language skills and qualifications. It helps individuals describe their linguistic proficiency based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
- Europass Certificate Supplement: Issued to holders of vocational education and training (VET) certificates, it provides a detailed description of the knowledge and skills acquired through the qualification, making it easier to understand by employers or educational institutions in other countries.
- Europass Diploma Supplement: Issued to holders of higher education degrees, it provides a standardized description of the nature, level, context, content, and status of the studies successfully completed by the individual.
- Europass Mobility: Records the knowledge, skills, and competences acquired during a learning period spent in another European country (e.g., student exchanges, work placements, volunteering). It is filled in by the sending and host organizations.
The overall objective of Europass is to support lifelong learning, professional mobility, and access to the labor market within the European Economic Area (EEA), which includes the EU Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and occasionally other countries like Switzerland and some candidate countries.