Subsection 6: Recognition of the professional qualifications of nationals of a Member State of the European Community or of another State party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area.

I. - When an application for recognition of the professional qualifications provided for in article L. 2223-49, the Prefect shall acknowledge receipt of the applicant's file within one month of the referral and inform the applicant, where appropriate, of any missing documents.

II. - The prefect shall arrange for the persons mentioned in article R. 2223-135 to verify the knowledge, skills and competences acquired by the applicant through professional experience or lifelong learning and duly validated for this purpose by a competent body. On completion of this verification, the prefect or, for the duties of thanatopractor, the minister responsible for health validates the verification of knowledge, skills and competence.

III. - Where appropriate, the prefect notifies the applicant of his decision to subject him to a compensation measure, specifying:

1° The level of professional qualification required in France and the level of professional qualification held by the applicant;

2° The reasons why the substantial differences which are observed in the subjects covered by these two levels of qualification, which can only be differences in content when the activity in question is regulated in the applicant's State of origin, cannot be covered by the knowledge, skills and competences acquired in the course of professional experience or lifelong learning which have been duly validated for this purpose by a competent body ;

3° Those subjects of the programme mentioned in article R. 2223-136 on which the applicant is questioned or the duration and content of the adaptation course, taking into account the elements gathered during the knowledge verification.

The applicant is also informed that, if he or she does not choose between the aptitude test and the adaptation course within one month of notification of the decision, he or she will be deemed to have withdrawn his or her application for recognition of professional qualifications.

IV. - The prefect's decision to recognise professional qualifications is substantiated and notified within four months of receipt of the complete application. The decision to have recourse to an aptitude test or adaptation course suspends this period until the completion of this compensatory measure.