Commentary on provisions of Act Section 5: Revocation of general EU system of recognition of overseas qualifications
Subsection (1) provides that the 2015 Regulations are revoked. This will come into effect by commencement regulations made by the Secretary of State. The 2015 Regulations provided a general system of recognition for qualifications from the EEA and Switzerland. Following the end of the transition period, this system had been retained in the interim to provide certainty to businesses and public services by offering potentially preferential qualification recognition to holders of EEA and Swiss qualifications. The new recognition framework, as set out in Section 1, will be implemented alongside revoking the 2015 Regulations.
	Appropriate national authorities may need to modify other legislation as a result of the revocation of the 2015 Regulations. This may include, for example, amendments to references to "the 2015 Regulations". Modifications may need to be made in legislation for professions which are regulated at a devolved level. Subsection (2) enables the appropriate national authority to modify legislation which falls under devolved competence for regulated professions, as a consequence of revoking the 2015 Regulations in subsection (1).
	Additionally, the Government, intends to use the commencement regulations to make transitional and saving provisions for recognition decisions obtained under the 2015 Regulations and applications which are in progress at the time when revocation of the 2015 Regulations comes into effect. This is to ensure professionals’ existing recognition will continue to be valid, and applications made before revocation comes into effect by the commencement regulations will continue to be assessed under the relevant retained EU recognition law.
	The revocation of the 2015 Regulations does not affect commitments under the CTA. The UK is retaining law on qualification recognition that implements international obligations on the recognition of professional qualifications, under the EU Withdrawal, EEA EFTA Separation, and Swiss Citizens’ Rights Agreements.