News Visit from a delegation from the National Apartment Association (NAA)
Across its 10 regional entities NAA represents 52,000 companies which manage more than 6 million units. This North American association champions the interests of owners and managers of apartment blocks.
It concentrates a lot of effort on the training of property managers, contributing also to assuring a quality service and meeting the needs of occupants and tenants. Political monitoring constitutes the second pillar of the association´s work.
After the meeting of February 17, the president and managing director of CEPI will visit in their turn NAA on 20 March in Washington. During the same week, they will have a meeting with representatives of the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) in Washington and Chicago.
Information about these North American associations: www.naahq.org and www.realtor.org
CEPI / CEI They were five, this 5 February, around a table and a drink at the Montgomery Hotel in Brussels to say goodbye and also to greet. The former presidents of CEPI and CEI mutually presented their successor. It was the occasion to confirm the rapprochement between the two associations and recall the interest of the two parties to establish some common projects.
Let us recall that CEPI actively contributed to the work on normalisation of estate agent services in the framework of CEN. For its part CEI wishes to profit from the contacts and experience of CEPI in terms of lobbying and training. CEPI will reflect on the possibility of combining with CEI at the next lobbying week which it will organise in January 2010. It will also invite representatives of CEI to the next regional seminars on training.
To facilitate these exchanges, the presidents will increase contact and work out a common schedule. The next meeting is fixed for 21 May in Dublin to engage in a reflection on the added value of a structural collaboration. This is a dossier which will be pursued.
Legislation and Regulations Worldwide crisis and transposition of the Directive on Services
Professionals in the European real estate sector have to face several major challenges: the worldwide crisis and the transposition of the Services Directive into national law by the end of 2009.
The example of the automobile sector shows that public authorities, national or transnational, wanted to take action to limit the impact of the current worldwide crisis. So there is one question that exercises real estate professionals: why is there no specific measure for the real estate sector which nonetheless concerns fundamental rights, such as the right to housing? Several indicators identified by the CEPI tend in fact to prove that real estate transactions, which are for the most part carried out by an overwhelming majority of European citizens, and constitute a major lever for economic activity, are slowing down rapidly practically everywhere in Europe in alarming proportions (in particular in Ireland, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom). Although quick to dip into the public purse to come to the aid of the financial and the automobile sectors (through countless aid to banks in difficult times, and many revival plans), why do European governments, and Europe as a whole, find it so difficult to provide commensurate support to this ever so important strategic economic lever, i.e. the real estate sector?
The real estate markets have been hit at different degrees by the crisis, often quite hard. Professionals, who, secretly or not, were dreaming of global aid to revive these markets, are likely to grow gradually disenchanted. It could be every man for himself, every country for itself, and perhaps professionals for themselves too. Professionals are called upon to take action to introduce the Services Directive in their daily activities. In fact, the purpose of this Directive on Services in the Internal Market is to remove obstacles to the free movement of services in the EU, so it will obviously affect fully the real estate sector. This, we suspect, raises a number of questions, as well as fears, often founded.
Hence the need to take stock of the situation with MEPs involved in these matters. Malcolm Harbour, member of the European Parliament, was co-rapporteur of the Services Directive, better known as the Bolkestein Directive. Jean-Marie Beaupuy, for his part, is member of the Committee on Regional Development. He also chairs the Urban Logement Intergroup.
The text of this interview is available from the CEPI Secretariat for the member associations. It can be used for press purposes. CEPI will also publish the interview in its Annual Report 2008, to be issued at the end of April.
Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD)
The proposed recast of the 2002 EPBD which was presented by the Commission in November 2008 is under discussion at the European Parliament. The intention is to strengthen the effectiveness and the impact of the Directive. On 3 February 2009 a draft report by rapporteur Silvia-Adriana Ticău was published. A number of proposed amendments have now been published. The report and amendments are available at http://www.europarl.europa.eu/activities/committees/amendmentsCom/comparlDossier.do?dossier=ITRE%2F6%2F69835&body=ITRE&language=EN . The proposal is forecast to be put to a vote at the plenary sitting of the European Parliament on 21 April 2009.
European Professional Card for Service Providers
On 19 February a European Parliament resolution on the proposed European professional card for service providers was passed. This is a non-legislative resolution. It calls for a more efficient and coordinated approach by the Commission between initiatives that aim to facilitate and stimulate the mobility of professionals between Member States. It also calls upon the Commission to assess the transposition of the 2005 Directive on Recognition of Professional Qualifications and urges the member States to strive for a more harmonised approach to the recognition of qualifications and competences. MEPs also call upon the Commission to take stock of different initiatives concerning the development of professional cards and report to the Parliament on a representative inventory. The Commission must also examine the initiatives to see what contribution such a card could make to the provision of cross-border services.
VAT
On 10 March EU finance ministers agreed at the Ecofin Council to apply reduced rates of VAT to local services including the renovation and repairing of private dwellings. The standard rate of VAT is 15% and countries will have the right to cut this to 5% on the list of agreed services. Previously, not all Member States could levy reduced rates on the same products. However, it is unlikely that any further reductions of the rates of VAT on goods and services in the EU will be agreed.
Small Business Act (SBA)
On 10 March a European Parliament legislative resolution on the proposal for a European private company statute as amended by the parliament) was passed. This proposal falls under the SBA (a series of measures presented by the European Commission on 25 June 2008 designed to help SMEs). It will allow entrepreneurs to create a company which is subject to the same conditions throughout the EU, is able to have offices in any given Member State which may be transferred to another Member State without transferring the head office. Also on 10 March a European legislative resolution on the SBA was passed. This calls for the establishment of the 10 current guiding principles as a legally binding rule, in a form to be determined.
EducationEuropea continuous education projects
KIINKO, Mäklarsamfundet, SOM/NVM (NL), VIVO/CIB (B), ESI/FNAIM (F), DIA/IVD (D), HAREM (H and IAVI met in Brussels this 10 February with the objective of evaluating the possibility of starting European continuous education projects.
What does that mean? We are convinced of the need for training modules to better position SME professionals who wish to evolve in an international environment. We also consider it important to develop regional seminars, allowing professionals developing in the same region to enrich the knowledge and competence of all. A regional seminar will be organised by CEPI and CIGDL in November 2009, and we think that other opportunities will present themselves. We will be dealing there with the relationship between bankers and property professionals. Finally, we hear demands for the transfer of competence within CEPI itself, and the project concerning the elaboration of norms for the services of managers to clients forms a first response from the network to this demand.
The following points were decided and ratified by the board of directors:
- The participants unanimously agreed to participate in the work of the PTC Education: this committee will soon be formalised by means of its adoption by the general assembly next May.
- The participants expressed their support for the project of elaborating a training module for professionals which is intended to evolve in an international environment; a project and request for finance was finalised and introduced to the European Commission this 27 February.
- ESI/FNAIM and DIA/IVD agreed to support the organisation of the regional seminar in Luxembourg next November.
- It is proposed, between the educational establishments present, to exchange information on their respective courses and programmes; the CEPI Secretariat will evaluate the possibility of organising this exchange at a reduced cost.
- CEPI will study the conditions under which a European training centre could see the light of day.
News of the Network CNAB, CSAB and UNIT have merged their three associations and created a new professional organisation, Union des Syndicats de l´Immobilier (UNIS)
President: Serge Ivars and Deputy Presidents: Chantal Coste and Etienne Ginot
With the creation of UNIS, the association landscape will become clearer and relations with all the natural interlocutors of professional organisations will be simplified.
The founding members of UNIS wish to:
- increase the representativeness and influence of their professional organisation with the public authorities, both national and regional;
- increase the services rendered to their members, particularly concerning information, training;
- conduct a policy of development, in terms of territory covered;
- maintain and promote the principles defined by their code of ethics, requirement of professionalism, of quality of services rendered, relations between colleagues and integrity;
- improve the perception of their professions, in different aspects.
UNIS represents 2000 property managers and managing agents, 2000 estate agents and brokers and 400 property agents.
137 boulevard Haussmann
F - 75008 Paris
t 33 1 42 93 60 55 / f 33 1 43 87 07 95
contact@unis-immo.com / http://www.unis-immo.com
Thank you Lars!
Lars Kilander, who started as chief lawyer in 1985, and has been the CEO of the Swedish association Mäklarsamfundet, since 1988, retired on March 13. This was a sad day for al the staff members of the association. We would like to thank Lars for his expertise, his efficiency, his availability and his kindness. We also wish his to recover soon.
In briefSignature of a partnership agreement CEPI / ProeventCEPI and Proevent have signed a structural partnership agreement with a view to strengthening the European character of the real estate fair of Saint Petersburg (PROEstate).
CEPI and Proevent are convinced that the Saint Petersburg Forum offers a privileged environment for professionals looking for business contacts and opportunities. The parties are also convinced that together they are able to develop products and services representing a special interest for European professionals.
The Finnish education institute KIINKO has been associated to this partnership agreement. KIINKO is a privileged education partner of both CEPI and the Russian Guild of Managers and Developers (GUD). It will contribute to the content of conferences and workshops, provide speakers, moderate sessions and debates with CEPI.
CEPI and KIINKO will have a stand at the PROEstate fair, which this year will take place from September 3 to 5. Full information will be distributed soon to the CEPI network and published on the CEPI website.
For more information, please click on www.proestate.ru
Agenda
General meetings
Events
CEPI
Across its 10 regional entities NAA represents 52,000 companies which manage more than 6 million units. This North American association champions the interests of owners and managers of apartment blocks.
It concentrates a lot of effort on the training of property managers, contributing also to assuring a quality service and meeting the needs of occupants and tenants. Political monitoring constitutes the second pillar of the association´s work.
After the meeting of February 17, the president and managing director of CEPI will visit in their turn NAA on 20 March in Washington. During the same week, they will have a meeting with representatives of the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) in Washington and Chicago.
Information about these North American associations: www.naahq.org and www.realtor.org
CEPI / CEI They were five, this 5 February, around a table and a drink at the Montgomery Hotel in Brussels to say goodbye and also to greet. The former presidents of CEPI and CEI mutually presented their successor. It was the occasion to confirm the rapprochement between the two associations and recall the interest of the two parties to establish some common projects.
Let us recall that CEPI actively contributed to the work on normalisation of estate agent services in the framework of CEN. For its part CEI wishes to profit from the contacts and experience of CEPI in terms of lobbying and training. CEPI will reflect on the possibility of combining with CEI at the next lobbying week which it will organise in January 2010. It will also invite representatives of CEI to the next regional seminars on training.
To facilitate these exchanges, the presidents will increase contact and work out a common schedule. The next meeting is fixed for 21 May in Dublin to engage in a reflection on the added value of a structural collaboration. This is a dossier which will be pursued.
Legislation and Regulations Worldwide crisis and transposition of the Directive on Services
Professionals in the European real estate sector have to face several major challenges: the worldwide crisis and the transposition of the Services Directive into national law by the end of 2009. The example of the automobile sector shows that public authorities, national or transnational, wanted to take action to limit the impact of the current worldwide crisis. So there is one question that exercises real estate professionals: why is there no specific measure for the real estate sector which nonetheless concerns fundamental rights, such as the right to housing? Several indicators identified by the CEPI tend in fact to prove that real estate transactions, which are for the most part carried out by an overwhelming majority of European citizens, and constitute a major lever for economic activity, are slowing down rapidly practically everywhere in Europe in alarming proportions (in particular in Ireland, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom). Although quick to dip into the public purse to come to the aid of the financial and the automobile sectors (through countless aid to banks in difficult times, and many revival plans), why do European governments, and Europe as a whole, find it so difficult to provide commensurate support to this ever so important strategic economic lever, i.e. the real estate sector?
The real estate markets have been hit at different degrees by the crisis, often quite hard. Professionals, who, secretly or not, were dreaming of global aid to revive these markets, are likely to grow gradually disenchanted. It could be every man for himself, every country for itself, and perhaps professionals for themselves too. Professionals are called upon to take action to introduce the Services Directive in their daily activities. In fact, the purpose of this Directive on Services in the Internal Market is to remove obstacles to the free movement of services in the EU, so it will obviously affect fully the real estate sector. This, we suspect, raises a number of questions, as well as fears, often founded.
Hence the need to take stock of the situation with MEPs involved in these matters. Malcolm Harbour, member of the European Parliament, was co-rapporteur of the Services Directive, better known as the Bolkestein Directive. Jean-Marie Beaupuy, for his part, is member of the Committee on Regional Development. He also chairs the Urban Logement Intergroup.
The text of this interview is available from the CEPI Secretariat for the member associations. It can be used for press purposes. CEPI will also publish the interview in its Annual Report 2008, to be issued at the end of April.
Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD)
The proposed recast of the 2002 EPBD which was presented by the Commission in November 2008 is under discussion at the European Parliament. The intention is to strengthen the effectiveness and the impact of the Directive. On 3 February 2009 a draft report by rapporteur Silvia-Adriana Ticău was published. A number of proposed amendments have now been published. The report and amendments are available at http://www.europarl.europa.eu/activities/committees/amendmentsCom/comparlDossier.do?dossier=ITRE%2F6%2F69835&body=ITRE&language=EN . The proposal is forecast to be put to a vote at the plenary sitting of the European Parliament on 21 April 2009.
European Professional Card for Service Providers
On 19 February a European Parliament resolution on the proposed European professional card for service providers was passed. This is a non-legislative resolution. It calls for a more efficient and coordinated approach by the Commission between initiatives that aim to facilitate and stimulate the mobility of professionals between Member States. It also calls upon the Commission to assess the transposition of the 2005 Directive on Recognition of Professional Qualifications and urges the member States to strive for a more harmonised approach to the recognition of qualifications and competences. MEPs also call upon the Commission to take stock of different initiatives concerning the development of professional cards and report to the Parliament on a representative inventory. The Commission must also examine the initiatives to see what contribution such a card could make to the provision of cross-border services.
VAT
On 10 March EU finance ministers agreed at the Ecofin Council to apply reduced rates of VAT to local services including the renovation and repairing of private dwellings. The standard rate of VAT is 15% and countries will have the right to cut this to 5% on the list of agreed services. Previously, not all Member States could levy reduced rates on the same products. However, it is unlikely that any further reductions of the rates of VAT on goods and services in the EU will be agreed.
Small Business Act (SBA)
On 10 March a European Parliament legislative resolution on the proposal for a European private company statute as amended by the parliament) was passed. This proposal falls under the SBA (a series of measures presented by the European Commission on 25 June 2008 designed to help SMEs). It will allow entrepreneurs to create a company which is subject to the same conditions throughout the EU, is able to have offices in any given Member State which may be transferred to another Member State without transferring the head office. Also on 10 March a European legislative resolution on the SBA was passed. This calls for the establishment of the 10 current guiding principles as a legally binding rule, in a form to be determined.
EducationEuropea continuous education projects
KIINKO, Mäklarsamfundet, SOM/NVM (NL), VIVO/CIB (B), ESI/FNAIM (F), DIA/IVD (D), HAREM (H and IAVI met in Brussels this 10 February with the objective of evaluating the possibility of starting European continuous education projects. What does that mean? We are convinced of the need for training modules to better position SME professionals who wish to evolve in an international environment. We also consider it important to develop regional seminars, allowing professionals developing in the same region to enrich the knowledge and competence of all. A regional seminar will be organised by CEPI and CIGDL in November 2009, and we think that other opportunities will present themselves. We will be dealing there with the relationship between bankers and property professionals. Finally, we hear demands for the transfer of competence within CEPI itself, and the project concerning the elaboration of norms for the services of managers to clients forms a first response from the network to this demand.
The following points were decided and ratified by the board of directors:
- The participants unanimously agreed to participate in the work of the PTC Education: this committee will soon be formalised by means of its adoption by the general assembly next May.
- The participants expressed their support for the project of elaborating a training module for professionals which is intended to evolve in an international environment; a project and request for finance was finalised and introduced to the European Commission this 27 February.
- ESI/FNAIM and DIA/IVD agreed to support the organisation of the regional seminar in Luxembourg next November.
- It is proposed, between the educational establishments present, to exchange information on their respective courses and programmes; the CEPI Secretariat will evaluate the possibility of organising this exchange at a reduced cost.
- CEPI will study the conditions under which a European training centre could see the light of day.
News of the Network CNAB, CSAB and UNIT have merged their three associations and created a new professional organisation, Union des Syndicats de l´Immobilier (UNIS)
President: Serge Ivars and Deputy Presidents: Chantal Coste and Etienne Ginot
With the creation of UNIS, the association landscape will become clearer and relations with all the natural interlocutors of professional organisations will be simplified.
The founding members of UNIS wish to:
- increase the representativeness and influence of their professional organisation with the public authorities, both national and regional;
- increase the services rendered to their members, particularly concerning information, training;
- conduct a policy of development, in terms of territory covered;
- maintain and promote the principles defined by their code of ethics, requirement of professionalism, of quality of services rendered, relations between colleagues and integrity;
- improve the perception of their professions, in different aspects.
UNIS represents 2000 property managers and managing agents, 2000 estate agents and brokers and 400 property agents.
137 boulevard Haussmann
F - 75008 Paris
t 33 1 42 93 60 55 / f 33 1 43 87 07 95
contact@unis-immo.com / http://www.unis-immo.com
Thank you Lars!
Lars Kilander, who started as chief lawyer in 1985, and has been the CEO of the Swedish association Mäklarsamfundet, since 1988, retired on March 13. This was a sad day for al the staff members of the association. We would like to thank Lars for his expertise, his efficiency, his availability and his kindness. We also wish his to recover soon.
In briefSignature of a partnership agreement CEPI / ProeventCEPI and Proevent have signed a structural partnership agreement with a view to strengthening the European character of the real estate fair of Saint Petersburg (PROEstate).
CEPI and Proevent are convinced that the Saint Petersburg Forum offers a privileged environment for professionals looking for business contacts and opportunities. The parties are also convinced that together they are able to develop products and services representing a special interest for European professionals.
The Finnish education institute KIINKO has been associated to this partnership agreement. KIINKO is a privileged education partner of both CEPI and the Russian Guild of Managers and Developers (GUD). It will contribute to the content of conferences and workshops, provide speakers, moderate sessions and debates with CEPI.
CEPI and KIINKO will have a stand at the PROEstate fair, which this year will take place from September 3 to 5. Full information will be distributed soon to the CEPI network and published on the CEPI website.
For more information, please click on www.proestate.ru
Agenda
General meetings
| May | ||
| 13 - 15 | CEPI - CEAB - EPAG | Firenze - Italia |
| 14 - 15 | IVD | Hamburg - Deutschland |
| hl@ivd.net |
| May | ||
| 8 - 9 | renovación de la Ofrenda anual a S. Domingo de la Calzada (Patrón de la profesión) | La Rioja - España |
| sectecnica@cgcafe.org | ||
| 13 - 15 | CEAB 20th anniversary | Firenze - Italia |
| cepi@cepi.eu | ||
| 22 - 23 | XIII Encuentro nacional de jóvenes administradores de fincas | Oviedo - España |
| sectenica@cgcafe.org | ||
| 26 -29 | SIMA09 | Madrid - España |
| September | ||
| 3 - 5 | PROEstate | St Petersburg - Rossija |
| international@proestate.ru |
| May 16 - 20 |
T. Multanen & X. Ortegat visiting NAR |
USA |