Report of the Committee on the Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications to the Joint Committee

December 17, 2021 (by videoconference)

Seventh Round of Negotiations on an Agreement between the EU and Canada on the Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications of Architects

The seventh round of negotiations took place via videoconference on 17 December 2021. The Parties were represented by the European Commission on behalf of the European Union (EU), and Global Affairs Canada and the Canadian Architectural Licensing Authority (CALA) on behalf of Canada. Representatives of Canada’s Provincial and Territorial Governments attended as observers.

The Parties continued to make progress. An agreement in principle was reached on the matter of MRA formal qualifications issued by a third party and recognized by a jurisdiction of a Party. Canada introduced a modified proposal to allow for supplementary non-discriminatory pre-registration courses, other than the general local knowledge course. Elements of the text related to these topics were discussed, with parts under further review and others stabilized.

With respect to residency requirements and how they should be reflected in the MRA text, Parties continued to discuss and clarify respective positions although a major divergence of views remains on the best means to address the issue.

The Parties committed to resume discussions at an eighth round of negotiations scheduled on 31 January 2022.