One of the questions that regular readers of this webpage might legitimately ask is that of „the facts“. In some previous articles that were posted, we speculated on the expansion of the ECo-C to France, or, last week, to Poland. While such a track is interesting, it could seem somewhat sterile if not associated to actual, practical forecasts and expectations.

Such is therefore the purpose of the present news piece: to outline the spread of the ECo-C across the European continent in concrete terms backed by forecast dates and timelines.

As one can see on the map, the ECo-C is already available internationally, in Germany and Slovakia. It is furthermore to be launched in Hungary come fall. As these three countries are traditional close partners of Austria, their early adoption of the certificate comes as no surprise.

It is also no surprise that the next countries lining up to adopt the certificate are Romania, Poland, by June 2011, followed by the Czech Republic and Bulgaria later in that year. All of these countries are new EU member states with strong connections to the German-speaking world; in fact, up until 1918, parts of Romania and Poland as well as the Czech Republic were integrated to the Austrian Empire. While those historical links have long ceased to exist, the adoption of the certificate would, as demonstrated in last week’s article, serve to support the workforce and resolve problems that all of these countries, together, face.

It is in 2012 that the ECo-C is forecast to really explode; five country representations from both Western and Eastern Europe are expected to enter into the scene (France and Spain in the first half of the year, the Netherlands, Serbia and Croatia in the second). Sweden is also forecast to launch its program as of the beginning of 2013, with three more countries (Italy, Slovenia, Malta) to join in 2014.

A suspicious reader might ask: how can one rely on such a distant forecast? It is true that, according to this planned, approximate launch dates have been determined for the next four years, and certainly, those dates may be amended in the future. However, much can be explained by the stringent standards of quality that the ECo-C retains and applies the licensing of country representations, trainers and training centres the translation of training materials. The ancient adage is once again proven… good things take time! In turn, this means that the forecast dates are realistic, chosen so as not to rush the expansion of the certificate or compromise what it stands for.

Pictured: The Expansion of the ECo-C in Europe, by Date