AGREEMENT
AMONG
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF ESTONIA,
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF LATVIA AND
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA
ON THE AUTOMATIC ACADEMIC RECOGNITION OF QUALIFICATIONS CONCERNING HIGHER EDUCATION

The Government of the Republic of Estonia, the Government of the Republic of Latvia and the Government of the Republic of Lithuania (hereinafter referred to as - the Parties)

having regard to the provisions of the Council of Europe and UNESCO Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Region, signed on 11 April 1997 in Lisbon (hereinafter referred to as - the Lisbon Recognition Convention) (ETS No 165),

having regard to the implementation of the subsidiary texts to the Lisbon Recognition Convention, adopted by the Lisbon Recognition Convention Committee,

having regard to the implementation of the Bologna tools, such as the Diploma Supplement, European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS), qualifications frameworks, and others, which facilitate recognition within the three Baltic States,

having regard to the development of the external and internal quality assurance mechanisms based on the Standards and guidelines for quality assurance in the European Higher Education Area (hereinafter referred to as - the ESG),

considering the successful implementation of the Agreement among the Government of the Republic of Estonia, the Government of the Republic of Latvia and the Government of the Republic of Lithuania on the Academic Recognition of Educational Qualifications in the Baltic Educational Space signed in Tallinn on 18 February 2000,

acting according to the national legislation of the states of the Parties,

aiming to develop cooperation between higher education and research institutions of the states of the Parties and to promote academic mobility,

aware of the significance of the mutual recognition of qualifications concerning higher education,

have agreed as follows:

Article 1. Objectives and Scope of the Agreement

1.1. This Agreement aims to facilitate recognition of qualifications concerning higher education, for academic purposes, and to promote exchange of information on education systems of the states of the Parties.

1.2. The provisions of this Agreement shall apply to automatic academic recognition of qualifications concerning higher education encompassing qualifications giving access to higher education and higher education qualifications, which belong to the education systems of the states of the Parties and are awarded by competent institutions in accordance with the national legislation of the respective state.

1.3. The automatic academic recognition shall apply to qualifications concerning higher education covered by the Table of Comparability in the Annex to this Agreement (hereinafter referred to as - the Table of Comparability) and awarded in the states of the Parties after this Agreement enters into force.

1.4. This Agreement shall not affect the application of national and international legislation of the states of the Parties regulating professional recognition. However, the provisions of this Agreement may facilitate decisions on recognition, for professional purposes, of qualifications belonging to the education systems of the states of the Parties.

1.5. Recognition of qualifications concerning higher education that are not covered by the Table of Comparability and recognition of periods of study shall be carried out in accordance with the principles of the Lisbon Recognition Convention, its subsidiary texts, and applicable legislation of the states of the Parties.

Article 2. Definitions

2.1. In this Agreement, the following terms shall have the following meaning:

2.1.1. "qualification giving access to higher education":

2.1.1.1. in the Republic of Estonia: general secondary education qualification gümnaasiumi lõputunnistus and vocational secondary education qualification kutsekeskhariduse lõputunnistus awarded by competent institutions in accordance with the national legislation;

2.1.1.2. in the Republic of Latvia: general secondary education qualification atestāts par vispārējo vidējo izglītību and vocational secondary education qualification diploms par profesionālo vidējo izglītību awarded by competent institutions in accordance with the national legislation;

2.1.1.3. in the Republic of Lithuania: secondary education qualification attested by brandos atestatas awarded by competent institutions in accordance with the national legislation;

2.1.2. "higher education qualifications":

2.1.2.1. In the Republic of Estonia: rakenduskõrghariduse diplom, bakalaureus, magister, arstikraad, hambaarstikraad, farmaatsiamagister, loomaarstikraad, arhitektuurimagister, tehnikateaduse magister, haridusteaduse magister and doktor awarded by recognised higher education institutions in accordance with the national legislation;

2.1.2.2. In the Republic of Latvia: profesionālā bakalaura diploms un augstākās profesionālās kvalifikācijas diploms, bakalaura diploms, maģistra diploms, profesionālā maģistra diploms, profesionālās augstākās izglītības diploms un augstākās profesionālās kvalifikācijas diploms (ārsta, zobārsta, farmaceita un veterinārārsta profesionālā kvalifikācija), doktora diploms awarded by recognised higher education institutions in accordance with the national legislation;

2.1.2.3. in the Republic of Lithuania: profesinis bakalauras, bakalauras, magistras, mokslo daktaras, and meno daktaras awarded by recognised higher education and research institutions in accordance with the national legislation.

2.2. Other terms shall be used as defined by the Lisbon Recognition Convention.

Article 3. General Provisions for Automatic Academic Recognition

3.1. A qualification concerning higher education awarded in the state of one of the Parties, which meets the conditions outlined in Article 4 of this Agreement, shall be automatically considered comparable to a qualification placed on the same level in the other states of the Parties in accordance with the Table of Comparability without any additional formalities.

3.2. In terms of access to higher education programmes or employment, the automatic academic recognition of the qualifications provisioned under this Agreement shall refer only to fulfilment of general academic requirements in terms of the required level of the qualification. It shall have no effect on the fulfilment of specific admission requirements posed by higher education institutions and/or employers for recruitment purposes.

Article 4. Conditions for Automatic Academic Recognition

Provisions regarding automatic academic recognition of Article 3 of this Agreement shall only apply to quality assured higher education qualifications. This means that the awarding institution and/or the programme, which led to the award of the qualification, had to be accredited by an external quality assurance agency, which applies the principles of the ESG, at the time of the award of the qualification.

Article 5. Information Provision and Exchange

5.1. The Parties shall make information about this Agreement and its effects widely available to the general public. Information about this Agreement and its text shall be available on the websites of the national ENIC/NARIC offices of each of the states.

5.2. The national ENIC/NARIC offices shall provide information on the education systems of the states and application of this Agreement to the parties concerned.

5.3. The Parties shall draw up a list of higher education institutions and/or programmes recognised and accredited in accordance with the legislation of the states. The lists shall be publicly available:

5.3.1. for the Republic of Estonia at: www.archimedes.ee/enic;

5.3.2. for the Republic of Latvia at: www.aic.lv;

5.3.3. for the Republic of Lithuania at www.aikos.smm.lt.

Article 6. Entry into Force, Amendment, and Termination

6.1. Upon the entry into force of this Agreement, the Agreement among the Government of the Republic of Estonia, the Government of the Republic of Latvia and the Government of the Republic of Lithuania on the Academic Recognition of Educational Qualifications in the Baltic Educational Space, signed in Tallinn on 18 February 2000, shall be terminated.

6.2. This Agreement shall enter into force on the date of receipt by the Depositary of the last written notification by the Parties through diplomatic channels confirming that the national legal procedures for the entry into force of this Agreement have been completed. The Government of the Republic of Latvia shall act as the depositary of this Agreement.

6.3. This Agreement may be amended through mutual written agreement of the Parties. The amendments shall be documented in separate protocols, which shall constitute an integral part of this Agreement and shall enter into force in accordance with the procedure set out in Article 6.2 of this Agreement.

6.4. Each of the Parties can denounce this Agreement in writing by giving a written notification thereof to the Depositary through diplomatic channels. This Agreement shall cease to be in force 6 months after the date of the receipt by the Depositary of such notification. After one of the Parties denounces this Agreement, it shall remain in force for the other two Parties.

Signed in Vilnius on 8 June 2018, in a single copy in the Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian and English languages, all texts being equally authentic, which shall be deposited into the archives of the Depositary. The Depositary shall transmit certified copies of this Agreement to all Parties. In case of divergence of interpretation, the text in the English language shall prevail.

Annex to
the Agreement among the Government of the Republic of Estonia, the Government of the Republic of Latvia and the Government of the Republic of Lithuania on the Automatic Academic Recognition of the Qualifications Concerning Higher Education

TABLE OF COMPARABILITY