Education, Mobility

Poland applied to join the Treaty on automatic recognition of Higher Education qualifications

22 May. 2025

On 22 May, Poland applied to join to the multilateral Treaty on automatic recognition of Higher Education qualifications. Prof. Andrzej Szeptycki, Undersecretary of State, presented the proposal on behalf of the Polish Governement to the Secretary-General of the Benelux Union, Frans Weekers, and the Deputy Secretary-General, Michel-Etienne Tilemans. The ceremony took place at the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. The Benelux countries and the Baltic States initiated the Treaty a few years ago. By joining, Poland aims to enhance academic mobility within the European Higher Education Area.

“The accession of the Republic of Poland to the multilateral Treaty on the automatic recognition of Higher Education qualifications is another step towards closer cooperation within the European Higher Education Area. It is also a confirmation of the fact that our country has a credible system for ensuring the quality of education programs, which is consistent with European standards”,  said Professor Andrzej Szeptycki, Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.

Secretary-General Frans Weekers is very pleased with Poland’s request to join the treaty. “Barely a year after the Benelux-Baltic initiative came into force, we’re already seeing our pioneering role recognized by a major and influential European country. I hope and expect that other countries will quickly pick up on this signal and join in to eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy and financial barriers. That’s good news for people with a bachelor’s, master’s, or PhD degree who need it to study or work in a participating European country.”

The Treaty, which has been in force since May 1, 2024, between Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, ensures that higher education degrees obtained in one of the participating countries are automatically recognized at the same level in the other treaty countries. Students no longer need to undergo lengthy and costly procedures to continue their studies in one of the participating countries.

Poland’s accession shall confirm that the country meets the quality requirements for automatic and mutual recognition of qualifications obtained in higher education.

The accession process will continue in the coming months. Once finalized, Polish higher education diplomas will be automatically recognized in the Benelux and Baltic countries.

Picture (c) Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Poland