No L 19/16 Official Journal of the European Communities 24. 1. 89 (Acts whose publication is not 6bligatory) COUNCIL . - COUNCIL DIRECTIVE of 21 December 1988 on a general system for the recognition of higher-education diplomas awarded on completion of professional education and training of at least three years’ duration : ~ (89/48/EEC) THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, and in particular Articles 49, 57 (1) and 66 thereof, ) Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ¢, In cobperation with the European Parliament (3, Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (), Whereas, pursuant to Article 3(c) of the Treaty the abolition, as between Member States, of obstacles to freedom of movement for persons and services constitutes one of the objectives of the Community ;. whereas, for nationals of the Member States, this means in particular the possibility of pursuing a profession, whether in a self-employed or employed capacity, in a Member State - other than that in which they acquired their professional qualifications ; Whereas the provisions so far adopted by the Council, and pursuant to which Member States recognize mutually and for professional purposes higher-education diplomas issued within their territory, concern only a few professions; whereas the level and duration of the education and training governing access to those professions have been regulated in a similar fashion in all the Member States or have been the subject of the minimal harmonization needed to establish sectoral systems for the mutual recognition of diplomas; () OJ No C 217, 28. 8. 1985, p. 3, and OJ No C.143, 10. 6. 1986, p. 7. () O] No C’345, 31. 12. 1985, p. 80, and OJ No C 309, 5. 12. 1988. () OJ No C 75, 3. 4. 1986, p. S. Whereas, in order to provide a rapid response to the expectations of nationals of Community countries who hold higher-education diplomas awarded on completion of professional education and training issued in a Member State other than that in which they wish to pussue their profession, another method of recognition of such diplomas should also be put in place such as to enable those concerned to pursue all those professional activities which in a host Member State are dependent on the completion of post-secondary education and training, provided they hold such a diploma preparing them for those activities awarded on completion of a course of studies lasting at least three years and issued in another Member State ; S t Whereas this objective can be achieved by the introduction of a general system for the recognition of higher-education diplomas awarded on completion of professional education and training of at least three years’ duration ; Whereas, for those professions for the pursuit of which the Community has not laid down the necessary minimum level of qualification, Member States reserve the option of fixing such a level with a view to guaran- teeing the quality of services provided in their territory ; whereas, however, they may not, without infringing their obligations laid down in Article S of the Treaty, require a national of a Member State to obtain those qualifications which in general they determine only by reference to diplomas issued under their own national education systems, where the person concerned has already acquired all or part of those qualifications in another Member State ; whereas, as a result,-any host Member State in