Appendix 1 Medical specialities in Public Health recognized by the EU 2005 ( 1 )

Thus, when there is a large variation in the number of specialists, it may be more difficult to achieve a harmonization of the content of the speciality and specialist training. Given the free movement and automatic recognition of medical specialists in the EU, it would be important to develop a programme for the recognition of quality and for quality assurance of the specialist training. So far this has been the issue for national authorities and national professional organizations. However, several specialist organizations have started European exams or certification systems for European specialists. Quality assurance programmes may also focus on the organization and content of the specialist training, which for instance may be assessed at site visits to training institutions. Accreditation systems may also be developed. For instance for medical specialists, the UEMS organizes an European Accreditation Council for continuing medical education (EACME) in order to assure the standards of educational activities in Europe. It should be a matter of concern for the profession to agree upon strategies and methods for quality assurance of the specialist training. The process of harmonization of the medical speciality in Public Health should include not only the definition of the core content of the speciality and the training of specialists but also the development of European quality systems for organizing and training Public Health Medicine. References