Article 14Equal treatment
1.EU Blue Card holders shall enjoy equal treatment with nationals of the Member State issuing the Blue Card, as regards:
(a)working conditions, including pay and dismissal, as well as health and safety requirements at the workplace;
(b)freedom of association and affiliation and membership of an organisation representing workers or employers or of any organisation whose members are engaged in a specific occupation, including the benefits conferred by such organisations, without prejudice to the national provisions on public policy and public security;
(c)education and vocational training;
(d)recognition of diplomas, certificates and other professional qualifications in accordance with the relevant national procedures;
(e)provisions in national law regarding the branches of social security as defined in Regulation (EEC) No 1408/71. The special provisions in the Annex to Regulation (EC) No 859/2003 shall apply accordingly;
(f)without prejudice to existing bilateral agreements, payment of income-related acquired statutory pensions in respect of old age, at the rate applied by virtue of the law of the debtor Member State(s) when moving to a third country;
(g)access to goods and services and the supply of goods and services made available to the public, including procedures for obtaining housing, as well as information and counselling services afforded by employment offices;
(h)free access to the entire territory of the Member State concerned, within the limits provided for by national law.
2.With respect to paragraph 1(c) and (g) the Member State concerned may restrict equal treatment as regards study and maintenance grants and loans or other grants and loans regarding secondary and higher education and vocational training, and procedures for obtaining housing.
With respect to paragraph 1(c):
(a)access to university and post-secondary education may be subject to specific prerequisites in accordance with national law;
(b)the Member State concerned may restrict equal treatment to cases where the registered or usual place of residence of the EU Blue Card holder, or that of the family member for whom benefits are claimed, lies within its territory.
Paragraph 1(g) shall be without prejudice to the freedom of contract in accordance with Community and national law.
3.The right to equal treatment as laid down in paragraph 1 shall be without prejudice to the right of the Member State to withdraw or to refuse to renew the EU Blue Card in accordance with Article 9.
4.When the EU Blue Card holder moves to a second Member State in accordance with Article 18 and a positive decision on the issuing of an EU Blue Card has not yet been taken, Member States may limit equal treatment in the areas listed in paragraph 1, with the exception of 1(b) and (d). If, during this period, Member States allow the applicant to work, equal treatment with nationals of the second Member State in all areas of paragraph 1 shall be granted.