Press Release: Austria and Belgium given more time to justify quotas

The European Commission has decided to extend its suspension of legal action against Austria and Belgium over their quota restrictions on the number of non-nationals permitted to enrol on degree courses for doctors, dentists, physiotherapists and vets.

The decision means that the Commission is prolonging its current freeze on infringement proceedings, in place since 2007, for a further four years until December 2016. The suspension is conditional on both countries gathering definitive evidence on why these courses should be an exception to EU Treaty rules on free movement of citizens, which normally guarantee EU nationals with relevant entry qualifications full access to higher education in any Member State.