Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-10-08-Speech-3-036"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20031008.6.3-036"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the Commission fully recognises the role that the liberal professions can play in making the European Union’s economy more competitive, thus helping to achieve the objectives set by the Lisbon European Council.
The Commission certainly believes that the undoubted competence of the professions and their ability to establish relationships of mutual trust with their clients are vital factors in the success of members of the liberal professions, and engender a high level of satisfaction amongst their clients in Europe. It is with this in mind that the Commission has adopted a number of initiatives designed, as has already been mentioned, to ensure that the general interest is fully protected and, in particular, to guarantee a high level of independence and of professional ethics in this sector. The recent Wouters judgment of 19 February 2002 and the issue of safeguarding customers’ rights are also relevant here.
In March 2003, we initiated an evaluation process with a view to forming an overall picture of regulation of the liberal professions and its effects across the countries of the European Union. This exercise takes two aspects into account: firstly, precisely because the liberal professions have a key impact on the competitiveness of other sectors, it is important to consider the economic consequences that regulation may have on production and on efficiency, price levels and employment; secondly, as the authors of the question have implied, it is vital to take into account non-economic aspects and accordingly to accurately assess the justification for various types of regulation. If the result is that some of this regulation goes beyond what can be objectively justified in order to guarantee high-quality services, on the one hand, and to protect consumer interests, on the other hand, the Commission, and also, I am sure, the members of the liberal professions themselves, will have to do everything in their power to ensure that these forms of regulation are reviewed. We are in the process of analysing the contribution of the liberal professions and of consumers to this assessment exercise.
Mr Lehne, on 28 October 2003, a hearing of interested parties will be held – the hearing that you, yourself, referred to – and we trust that, on that occasion, we will be able to pull together a wide range of views from all quarters. Of course, if any Members of the European Parliament wish to take part, they will be more than welcome. I am sure that the debates will be of a high quality, and that they will enable us to gain a better understanding of how the professions operate. Your opinions, if you wish to participate, will certainly add to the quality of the debate.
Lastly, Mr President, I would like to remind the House that, in response to a proposal from my colleague, Commissioner Bolkestein, the Commission, on 7 March 2002, adopted a proposal for a directive on the recognition of professional qualifications, the main aim of which, in view of the decisions of the Lisbon European Council, is to consolidate the 15 existing directives in this area and to increase the mobility of skills. This proposal is currently before this House at first reading. Without addressing the issue of professional qualifications, which remains an area in which the Member States have primary competence, the proposal aims to facilitate the provision of services to clients in any other Member State by members of the liberal professions with a qualification from a given Member State. At the same time, the Commission is exploring - in a wider context and in line with the strategy for the internal market in financial services - a coherent approach to overcoming the persisting obstacles to the provision of cross-border services, with the exception of those related merely to recognition of professional qualifications. Of course, if the Commission were to bring forward a new proposal in this area which also covered cross-border services provided by members of the liberal professions, it would take due account of the general interest objectives at stake and, especially, of the particular importance of independence and of professional ethics for these professions.
By way of conclusion, while reiterating its commitment to respecting the regulation and the restrictive self-regulation that apply to the liberal professions, and which can be justified on grounds of general interest, the Commission believes that it has a duty to increase its endeavours to create a level playing field for qualified professionals, so as to increase cross-border mobility and promote healthy competition, in the interests of both the professions themselves and consumers. If I may use your own expression, Mr Lehne, we are all aware that supermarket rules are neither appropriate nor sufficient here. This is a very special sector which we do, however, consider could benefit from a critical review of its existing regulatory framework."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples