Mutual recognition occurs when two or more countries or other institutions recognize one another's decisions or policies, for example in the field of conformity assessment, professional qualifications or in relation to criminal matters.
However, the term is also applied to agreements on the recognition of professional qualifications and decisions relating to criminal matters.
[3] Mutual recognition is a cornerstone principle in the Area of freedom, security and justice (AFSJ) in the European Union (EU).
The importance of mutual recognition as a key principle for promoting cooperation, coordination and trust among EU Member States within the AFSJ has been firstly recognized in the Tampere Conclusions, adopted by the European Council in October 1999.
Mutual recognition can represent an alternative to harmonisation in order to achieve the goal of European Integration in the AFSJ.