Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-11-14-Speech-1-076-000"
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"en.20111114.17.1-076-000"2
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"Madam President, earlier this year, I was given the privilege of being the rapporteur for this report; my first since being elected. The issue of professional qualifications is very important and is one of the top priorities of the Single Market Act to boost growth.
To finish, I would like to thank the Commission, especially Jürgen Tiedje, and, once gain, the shadows and advisers, for working so hard on this dossier. I look forward to working closely with all of you again when the legislative proposal is released later this year; thank you for helping to make my first report such a success.
The report is a great opportunity for Parliament to provide real input and focus for the Commission’s future legislative proposal due to be released on 13 December. First and foremost, I would like to thank my fellow shadows; I am extremely grateful for all the input they have provided throughout the process.
Over the past few months, I have met with many different professionals, regulators, competent authorities and other stakeholders. They all tell me the same thing: professionals across the EU are waiting for us to deliver on our promise to enhance mobility. They are providing essential services across the EU, helping to drive our economy and enhancing our citizens’ quality of life. They are keen to help deliver for the single market. We need to provide a framework that enables them to do this.
In drafting my report, I took into consideration their views and came up with four areas where improvements in the directive could be made. In the first place, we need to simplify information and procedures for citizens and professionals. Competent authorities, professional bodies and Member States need to provide clear, concise and centralised information to professionals. That is why I have asked the Commission to establish an on-line portal that clearly provides all the necessary information and signpost professionals to the relevant authorities in the host Member State.
Secondly, a number of the provisions currently used in the directive require immediate updating. Critically, we also need to update the way in which professions are regulated across the EU. I firmly believe that the most effective way to enable the free movement of workers would be to reduce the number of regulated professions in Europe, whilst maintaining the necessary safeguards and caveats for those professions with health and safety implications.
Indeed, the protection of public health and safety is a vital aspect of this directive. Continuous professional development is absolutely crucial in maintaining professional standards, especially in the health care sector. On the controversial issue of languages, I have asked that the Commission clarify the provisions in the directive so as to allow competent authorities flexibility in assessing language skills during the recognition process. Most importantly, I have asked the Commission to implement a proactive alert mechanism contained within the internal market information system that will trigger an alert to all Member States when regulatory action has been taken against a professional’s rights to provide services, whilst respecting personal data protection.
Finally, a major problem described by many professionals in the public consultation is quite simply a lack of trust in the current system. I therefore asked the Commission to introduce an obligation that competent authorities proactively share information over the IMI system to inject this confidence.
Now we come to the issue of the professional card. It is clear that whilst it may be valuable to some professions, concerns raised in the pilot projects reveal that the concept still needs to be refined. That is why I am very clear in my belief that any card must be voluntary, and that a thorough impact assessment is absolutely crucial to determine whether or not the professional card will be a useful initiative. Sadly, a number of my colleagues did not share my view and instead voted in committee to push the card through without an impact assessment. However, in my report, we have called on the Commission to provide evidence of added value of the card before it is introduced, and I hope that they will do just that.
There are other areas where I would have preferred a different outcome and which I hope we can improve on with the legislative proposal. Nonetheless, the report as a whole provides an excellent indication to the Commission on Parliament’s position. On a number of issues, we are very clear: we need to make information on recognition easier to understand and access; we need to update those existing provisions that are out of date, and we need Member States to reconsider the justifications for regulating certain professions. We must maintain and build up the protections granted to the public and patients by establishing an alert mechanism. Finally, we must inject confidence into the system, utilising IMI, ensuring proper transposition by Member States, and investigating the potential value of a professional card."@en1
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