CEPI - European Council of Real Estate Professions

On 5 February 2013 the European Commission published a proposal for the revision of the current Third Anti-Money Laundering Directive. This is a very important piece of legislation for the real estate sector. After careful consideration and discussion CEPI and CEI have now published their joint position on the proposal. We support the fight against money laundering but take this opportunity to highlight some points of particular concern to the real estate sector.

According to a report adopted by the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) of the European Parliament on 23 April, there is an urgent need for investment in the social housing sector which offers leverage to help the EU out of the economic, social and environmental crisis.
The adoption of the report is significant for the fact that it relates specifically to housing although property as such is not an EU competence. It demonstrates the importance which the Parliament now addresses to the issue of social housing and also the way in which it interrelates with other important issues such as economic governance and energy efficiency.

It is with sadness that we announce the death of Serge Winnykamien.
In the name of Claudine Speltz and the Board of CEPI, in the name also of many professionals and colleagues, we wish to express our profound gratitude to Serge for having contributed so importantly to the construction of the European real estate edifice!

After long negotiations on new rules on mortgage credit in the EU, political agreement was reached in trialogue between representatives of the European Parliament, the Commission and the Irish Presidency. The agreement now has to be formally approved by the European Parliament and the European Council. CEPI welcomes the fact that this important issue is close to resolution and the better information and protection which will be offered to consumers by a new Directive.

On 11 April Eurostat published its most recent information on house prices as measured by the House Price Index (price developments of all residential properties purchased by households). House prices in the eurozone fell by 1.8% and by 1.4% in the EU in the fourth quarter of 2012 compared with the same quarter of the previous year.