CEPI - European Council of Real Estate Professions

On 12 June agreement was reached between the European Parliament and the Council on the modernisation of the Professional Qualifications Directive. The mobility of professional services is important in the real estate sector which is experiencing increasing levels of cross-border activity. From the outset of discussions on the modernisation CEPI has supported the introduction of the European professional card which will represent a significant improvement in procedures for the recognition of qualifications for those professions able to use it.

When services are provided cross-border it is important to know what the insurance requirements are in the host Member State. The European Commission would like to find out what obstacles service providers and businessmen face when arranging such insurance cover and has published a public consultation on this topic. It is particularly interested in hearing from service providers, mainly SMEs, providing services on a temporary basis, without setting up a permanent establishment in the host Member State.

CEPI recently organised a work seminar in Barcelona on the subject of the recognition of professional qualifications in the context of increasing deregulation. Bernadette Vergnaud, MEP and Committee rapporteur on "Internal market and consumer protection" for the European Parliament, gave a presentation at the seminar with a message of support that the professionals in the audience gratefully acknowledged.

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.