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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0PLOS Global Public Health

Updates to the EU Directives on Professional Qualifications must align with global standards

  • Lia Brigante1
  • Anna af Ugglas2
  • Daniela Drandic3
  • Jacqueline Dunkley Bent4
  • Margrieta Langins
  • Mervi Jokinen
  • Kerry Phillips
4 affiliations
  1. 1International Confederation of Midwives, The Hague, Netherlands
  2. 2World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, Copenhagen, Denmark
  3. 3European Forum of National Nursing and Midwifery Associations, London, United Kingdom
  4. 4World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Midwifery Development, Cardiff, United Kingdom
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Abstract

The European Union (EU) Directive on Minimum Professional Qualifications: Midwife is under review as part of an ongoing regulatory update. This revision presents a critical opportunity to modernise the regulation of midwifery education and practice across the EU and EEA, having implications that extend beyond the region, given the EU’s role in influencing professional regulation globally. We argue that updates to the Directive must be aligned with current scientific evidence, Global Standards for the profession, and relevant World Health Organization guidelines. Aligning the Directive with these evidence-based standards is essential to ensure high-quality care, enable midwives to practise to their full scope, support workforce mobility, and strengthen health systems across Europe.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{brigante2026updates,
  title = {{Updates to the EU Directives on Professional Qualifications must align with global standards}},
  author = {Lia Brigante and Anna af Ugglas and Daniela Drandic and Jacqueline Dunkley Bent and Margrieta Langins and Mervi Jokinen and Kerry Phillips},
  journal = {PLOS Global Public Health},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.1371/journal.pgph.0007272},
  url = {https://journals.plos.org/globalpublichealth/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgph.0007272},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Updates to the EU Directives on Professional Qualifications must align with global standards
AU  - Lia Brigante
AU  - Anna af Ugglas
AU  - Daniela Drandic
AU  - Jacqueline Dunkley Bent
AU  - Margrieta Langins
AU  - Mervi Jokinen
AU  - Kerry Phillips
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/21
JO  - PLOS Global Public Health
DO  - 10.1371/journal.pgph.0007272
UR  - https://journals.plos.org/globalpublichealth/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgph.0007272
AB  - The European Union (EU) Directive on Minimum Professional Qualifications: Midwife is under review as part of an ongoing regulatory update. This revision presents a critical opportunity to modernise the regulation of midwifery education and practice across the EU and EEA, having implications that extend beyond the region, given the EU’s role in influencing professional regulation globally. We argue that updates to the Directive must be aligned with current scientific evidence, Global Standards for the profession, and relevant World Health Organization guidelines. Aligning the Directive with these evidence-based standards is essential to ensure high-quality care, enable midwives to practise to their full scope, support workforce mobility, and strengthen health systems across Europe.
SN  - 2767-3375
ER  -