European legislation

The Medical Act 1983 is the main piece of legislation governing the work of the GMC.

However, we also have to comply with the relevant European legislation affecting medical regulation.

Directive 2005/36/EC

The principal European legislation is Directive 2005/36/EC on the recognition of professional qualifications. This sets out our obligations for recognising the medical qualifications held by doctors from within the European Economic Area (EEA).

View Directive 2005/36/EC.

In order to introduce Directive 2005/36/EC into UK law, it was necessary to transpose the Directive in UK statutory regulations. These regulations have the force of law. The regulations are:

• European Communities (Recognition of Professional Qualifications) Regulations 2007 (192kb pdf)
• European Qualifications (Health and Social Care Professions) Regulations 2007 (554kb pdf)

The relevant sections of these regulations have now been incorporated into the Medical Act 1983.