He is thinking along the lines of CMAS in France is what I am getting. AOW is roughly just over a CMAS 1 star diver for most of the recreational agencies due to the lack of rescue training in the OW and AOW classes along with instruction in emergency deco and some other items. But this is not hard and fast since CMAS also goes by different guidelines based on the country it is awarded in. Also France has actual laws on the books regarding who can dive when, where, and with who. Unless you own your own compressor and all gear in which case the rules are negated unless diving in an area that requires them.
I would bet, and the OP can confirm, that he is looking at perhaps the entry and exit requirements for certification by PADI, SSI, etc. Where some of the material that would be included in a CMAS 2 star cert that allows two divers to dive together without supervision is not present until the level of rescue diver/ dive master or even higher since true emergency deco using deco tables is not even addressed in the recreational level training.
In the US CMAS cards are issued by SEI and an AOW diver can be a CMAS 2 star since we include rescue and deco as long as the instructor also certifies the diver has the minimum number of dives required. Which is one reason I set my entry/exit requirements for my advanced level training the way I did. Going by my guidelines I insure the person coming out of my advanced level class has all the requirements met for CMAS 2 star.