ECCO to debate Euro DiplomaÕs future in Berlin

Future developments for the troubled European Diploma will be discussed in Berlin this month. The European Council of Optometry and Optics will debate the next moves for the Diploma from April 26-28.Since the original Diploma ran in 2000, its organisation has passed from the College of Optometrists to the German ZVA. A new Board of Examiners and Board of Management have been appointed with representatives of all the major European countries. The final format of the examination will be decided in Berlin followed by a date for the new exam. Because of differences in the role of optometry in various countries (some countries do not allow optometrists to use drugs in practice or to issue prescriptions) there is an aim for the new ECOO Diploma to be at the centre of a Ôcompetency-basedÕ framework. u optician will run a detailed article on the new Diploma in a future issue, and a series looking at the role of the optometrist in different European countries.