The Veterinary profession in light of the VET 2020 project

The VET 2020 project, entitled Development of European Educational Strategies, was implemented in 2000. The veterinarian profiles are designed according to needs identified by the market for 2020. The project is being realized within the European Union frames of the SOCRATES program. Faculties of veterinary Medicine from 20 countries are participating in this program, 13 of which belong to the European Union (Austria, Belgium, Finland, Greece, Spain, Holland, Island, Germany, Portugal, Sweden, Great Britain and Italy) and 7 so called associated countries (the Czech Republic, Norway, Poland, Rumania, Slovenia and Hungary). Prof. Tito Fernandes from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the Technical University in Lisbon is the coordinator of the project as well as the current President of the European Association of Veterinary Education Establishment (EAEVE). The Polish representative participating in this project is the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the Agricultural University in Warsaw represented by Prof. Jerzy Vita. The main aims of the project are: prognosis of the European market for veterinarians up to 2020; prognosis of the traditional form of activity of veterinarians to 2020 and determining new fields of activity within veterinary medicine; strong and weak points of the veterinary profession and the veterinary educational program. The analysis of the questionnaire from 2002 confirms that the number of veterinarians per 100 inhabitants in Poland is much lower than in the majority of other European countries. The number of veterinary medicine faculties in Poland as well as the number of students is probably in proper proportions with respect to the number of the country's inhabitants. The statistical indices in this aspect are comparable with those-of the European Union countries.