The European Commission has launched the 27th of this past May a public consultation on the regulation of professions: Member States’ National Action Plans and proportionality in regulation. A lack of standardisation in professions regulation According to the European Commission, regulated professions together represent 22 %of the EU work force and are subject to almost 6000 different regulations. It means 47 million European needs some kind of authorisation, often after their education, to be able to work2 . The Commission believes that regulation is often necessary in order to ensure safety. Nevertheless, the risks at stake in some professions, such as healthcare services, are not the same in all professions. It is why, according to the Commission, national regulators should consider other sources of rules such as national or EU consumer protection guidelines instead of adding an unnecessary layer of control3 . It is true, as underlined by the Commission, that access to profession differs from on Member State to another, in term of qualification, but also the period of practical training, registering to a competent authority and/or joining a professional organisation. Some may have to pay an annual fee, being obliged to follow ongoing formation, periodically re-register, etc. Regulation can limit worker activities or the legal form their company can take. While there is a strict regulation in some professions, some countries also choose to not regulate at all. The Commission is of the opinion that this “profusion of regulation” has a negative impact on European economy and consumer, it is a constraint to the mobility of workers, goods and services within the Single Market, it makes difficult for European citizens to providing or seeking services in another Member State. Furthermore, it could be problematic in terms of competition policy, affect prices or weaken professionals’ ability to enter the market.
