COM(2004)83 - Report on Competition in Professional Services

official title

 

Legal instrument	Communication
reference by COM-number139	COM(2004)83
Additional COM-numbers	COM(2004)83
CELEX number142	52004DC0083

This page is also available in a full version containing the latest state of affairs, the legal context, other dossiers related to the dossier at hand, the stakeholders involved (e.g. European Commission directorates-general, European Parliament committees, Council configurations and even individual EU Commissioners and Members of the European Parliament) and finally documents of the European Parliament, the Council of Ministers and the European Commission.

• 1. 

  Council Regulation (EEC) 4064/89, OJ L 395, 30.12.1989; substituted from 1 May 2004 with Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 of 20 January 2004 on the control of concentrations between undertakings, OJ L 24 of 29.01.2004.
  
   
• 2. 

  The OECD is carrying out ongoing work on competition in professional services, including some of the professions not covered here.
  
   
• 3. 

  Council Regulation (EEC) 4064/89, OJ L 395, 30.12.1989; substituted from 1 May 2004 with Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 of 20 January 2004 on the control of concentrations between undertakings, OJ L 24 of 29.01.2004.
  
   
• 4. 

  The OECD is carrying out ongoing work on competition in professional services, including some of the professions not covered here.
  
   
• 5. 

  Council Regulation (EEC) 4064/89, OJ L 395, 30.12.1989; substituted from 1 May 2004 with Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 of 20 January 2004 on the control of concentrations between undertakings, OJ L 24 of 29.01.2004.
  
   
• 6. 

  Source: Eurostat (2002) European business: facts and figures. Services include construction but exclude social services and public administration.
  
   
• 7. 

  Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament, An Internal Market Strategy for Services, COM (2000) 888 final, 29.12.2000.
  
   
• 8. 

  Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on Services in the Internal Market COM (2004) 002 of 13.1.2004.
  
   
• 9. 

  Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the recognition of professional qualifications, COM (2002) 119 final of 7.3.2002.
  
   
• 10. 

  European Parliament resolution on market regulations and competition rules for the liberal professions, 16.12.2003.
  
   
• 11. 

  The competitiveness of business-related services and their contribution to the performance of European enterprises COM(2003) 747 final, 4.12.2003.
  
   
• 12. 

  Category 74 of the NACE classification Other business activities which includes legal, accounting and auditing activities; consultancy; market research; business and management consultancy; holdings architectural and engineering activities and related technical consultancy; technical testing and analysis; advertising; labour recruitment and provision of personnel; investigation and security activities; industrial cleaning and miscellaneous others.
  
   
• 13. 

  Source: EU Labour Force Survey Eurostat.
  
   
• 14. 

  Source: Eurostat, Developments for services during the second quarter of 2003, Statistics in focus 36/2003.
  
   
• 15. 

  'Economic Impact of regulation in the field of liberal professions in different EU Member States', Ian Paterson, Marcel Fink, Anthony Ogus, Institute for Advanced Studies, Vienna, January 2003.
  
   
• 16. 

  These and other related documents are accessible at: europa.eu.int/comm/competition/ liberalization/conference/libprofconference.htm.
  
   
• 17. 

  93/438/EEC: Commission Decision of 30 June 1993 relating to a proceeding pursuant to Article 85 of the EEC Treaty (IV/33.407 - CNSD) OJ L 203, 13.08.1993 p. 27.
  
   
• 18. 

  See OECD Journal of Competition Law and Policy No. 4, February 2002, 'Competition in Professional Services', p.56 to 57, and Internet publication for the OECD full report www.oecd.org/dataoecd/35/4/ 1920231.pdf. See also the references in footnotes 18 and 19.
  
   
• 19. 

  European Parliament resolution on market regulations and competition rules for the liberal professions, 16.12.2003.
  
   
• 20. 

  See Directive 97/55/EC of 6 October 1997 amending Directive 84/450/EEC concerning misleading advertising so as to include comparative advertising, OJ No L 290, 23.10.1997, p 18.
  
   
• 21. 

  Research on advertising restrictions in the legal profession, for example, is summarised by Stephen, F.H. and J.H. Love, Regulation of the Legal Profession, in B. Bouckaert and G. De Geest (eds) Encyclopedia of Law and Economics, Volume III: The Regulation of Contracts, Cheltenham, 2000, p.987-1017.
  
   
• 22. 

  Cox C. and S. Foster, 'The Costs and Benefits of Occupational Regulation' Bureau of Economics Staff Report to the Federal Trade Commission, 1990, p. 26-27.
  
   
• 23. 

  The OECD is carrying out ongoing work on competition in professional services, including some of the professions not covered here.
  
   
• 24. 

  Case C-41/90 Höfner and Elser
   
• 25. 

  Case C-35/96, Commission v. Italy (CNSD)
   
• 26. 

  Cases C-160/91 Poucet
   
• 27. 

  Case C-364/92, Eurocontrol,
   
• 28. 

  This was the case for the public employment office in Höfner (op cit note 20), the airport authority in Case C-82/01 P Aéroports de Paris
   
• 29. 

  Opinion of Advocate General Jacobs in C-180/98 and C-184/98 Pavlov op cit note 22 and judgment in Case C-22/98, Becu
   
• 30. 

  Indeed, the Court confirmed in Wouters op cit note 20, para 48, that lawyers offer, for a fee, services in the form of legal assistance and representation of clients in legal proceedings. Similar reasoning applies for other professions, such as customs agents in the two CNSD (T- 513/93 and C-35/96) cases and medical specialist doctors in Pavlov op cit note 22.
  
   
• 31. 

  CNSD, op cit note 21, para 38.
  
   
• 32. 

  Wouters, op cit note 20, para 49.
  
   
• 33. 

  Wouters, op cit note 20, para 64.
  
   
• 34. 

  Wouters, op cit note 20, paras 65 and 66.
  
   
• 35. 

  Advocate General Léger in his Opinion in Case C-35/99 Arduino,
   
• 36. 

  Advocate General Jacobs in his Opinion in Albany op cit note 22.
  
   
• 37. 

  Wouters, op cit note 20 paras 61-64 and Arduino op cit note 31, paras 37-39.
  
   
• 38. 

  Wouters, op cit note 20, para 68.
  
   
• 39. 

  Commission Decision of 30.6.1993 93/438/EEC CNSD.,(OJ L 203, 13.08.1993.
  
   
• 40. 

  Commission Decision of 30.1.1995 95/188/EC (OJ L 12 , 02.06.1995) relating to a proceeding under Article 85 of the EC Treaty (IV/33.686 - Coapi), , p.37.
  
   
• 41. 

  Commission Decision of 7.4.1999 1999/267/EC (OJ L 106, 23.04.1999), p.14 relating to a proceeding pursuant to Article 85 of the EC Treaty (IV/36.147 EPI code of conduct), . See also judgment of the Court of First Instance in case T-144/99 Commission v Netherlands
   
• 42. 

  Source: Eurostat (2002) European business: facts and figures. Services include construction but exclude social services and public administration.
  
   
• 43. 

  Wouters, op cit note 20, para 95 and Arduino op cit note 31, para 33.
  
   
• 44. 

  The OECD is carrying out ongoing work on competition in professional services, including some of the professions not covered here.
  
   
• 45. 

  The OECD is carrying out ongoing work on competition in professional services, including some of the professions not covered here.
  
   
• 46. 

  Wouters, op cit note 20, para 110.
  
   
• 47. 

  Wouters , op cit note 20, paragraphs 97-110.
  
   
• 48. 

  Case C-13/77,
   
• 49. 

  Case C-198/01, Consorzio Industrie Fiammiferi (CIF)
   
• 50. 

  C-359/95 P and C-379/95 P, Ladbroke
   
• 51. 

  42.Joined cases T-191/98, T-212/98 to T-214/98, Atlantic Container Line v. Commission
   
• 52. 

  Case T-513/93, CNSD
   
• 53. 

  Council Regulation (EEC) 4064/89, OJ L 395, 30.12.1989; substituted from 1 May 2004 with Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 of 20 January 2004 on the control of concentrations between undertakings, OJ L 24 of 29.01.2004.
  
   
• 54. 

  The OECD is carrying out ongoing work on competition in professional services, including some of the professions not covered here.
  
   
• 55. 

  Council Regulation (EEC) 4064/89, OJ L 395, 30.12.1989; substituted from 1 May 2004 with Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 of 20 January 2004 on the control of concentrations between undertakings, OJ L 24 of 29.01.2004.
  
   
• 56. 

  CIF, op cit note 42, para 55.
  
   
• 57. 

  CIF, op cit note 42 para 54.
  
   
• 58. 

  The OECD is carrying out ongoing work on competition in professional services, including some of the professions not covered here.
  
   
• 59. 

  Source: Eurostat (2002) European business: facts and figures. Services include construction but exclude social services and public administration.
  
   
• 60. 

  The OECD is carrying out ongoing work on competition in professional services, including some of the professions not covered here.
  
   
• 61. 

  Council Regulation (EEC) 4064/89, OJ L 395, 30.12.1989; substituted from 1 May 2004 with Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 of 20 January 2004 on the control of concentrations between undertakings, OJ L 24 of 29.01.2004.
  
   
• 62. 

  Council Regulation (EEC) 4064/89, OJ L 395, 30.12.1989; substituted from 1 May 2004 with Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 of 20 January 2004 on the control of concentrations between undertakings, OJ L 24 of 29.01.2004.
  
   
• 63. 

  Council Regulation (EEC) 4064/89, OJ L 395, 30.12.1989; substituted from 1 May 2004 with Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 of 20 January 2004 on the control of concentrations between undertakings, OJ L 24 of 29.01.2004.
  
   
• 64. 

  Council Regulation (EEC) 4064/89, OJ L 395, 30.12.1989; substituted from 1 May 2004 with Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 of 20 January 2004 on the control of concentrations between undertakings, OJ L 24 of 29.01.2004.
  
   
• 65. 

  Arduino, op cit note31 para 34.
  
   
• 66. 

  Arduino op cit note 31 paras 34-35.
  
   
• 67. 

  Council Regulation (EEC) 4064/89, OJ L 395, 30.12.1989; substituted from 1 May 2004 with Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 of 20 January 2004 on the control of concentrations between undertakings, OJ L 24 of 29.01.2004.
  
   
• 68. 

  Council Regulation (EEC) 4064/89, OJ L 395, 30.12.1989; substituted from 1 May 2004 with Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 of 20 January 2004 on the control of concentrations between undertakings, OJ L 24 of 29.01.2004.
  
   
• 69. 

  Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2003 of 16 December 2002 on the implementation of the rules on competition laid down in Articles 81 and 82 of the Treaty, (OJ L 1 of 4.1.2003, p. 1),
  
   
• 70. 

  Council Regulation (EEC) 4064/89, OJ L 395, 30.12.1989; substituted from 1 May 2004 with Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 of 20 January 2004 on the control of concentrations between undertakings, OJ L 24 of 29.01.2004.
  
   
• 71. 

  The OECD is carrying out ongoing work on competition in professional services, including some of the professions not covered here.
  
   
• 72. 

  Council Regulation (EEC) 4064/89, OJ L 395, 30.12.1989; substituted from 1 May 2004 with Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 of 20 January 2004 on the control of concentrations between undertakings, OJ L 24 of 29.01.2004.
  
   
• 73. 

  The OECD is carrying out ongoing work on competition in professional services, including some of the professions not covered here.
  
   
• 74. 

  Council Regulation (EEC) 4064/89, OJ L 395, 30.12.1989; substituted from 1 May 2004 with Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 of 20 January 2004 on the control of concentrations between undertakings, OJ L 24 of 29.01.2004.
  
   
• 75. 

  Source: Eurostat (2002) European business: facts and figures. Services include construction but exclude social services and public administration.
  
   
• 76. 

  Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament, An Internal Market Strategy for Services, COM (2000) 888 final, 29.12.2000.
  
   
• 77. 

  Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on Services in the Internal Market COM (2004) 002 of 13.1.2004.
  
   
• 78. 

  Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the recognition of professional qualifications, COM (2002) 119 final of 7.3.2002.
  
   
• 79. 

  European Parliament resolution on market regulations and competition rules for the liberal professions, 16.12.2003.
  
   
• 80. 

  The competitiveness of business-related services and their contribution to the performance of European enterprises COM(2003) 747 final, 4.12.2003.
  
   
• 81. 

  Category 74 of the NACE classification Other business activities which includes legal, accounting and auditing activities; consultancy; market research; business and management consultancy; holdings architectural and engineering activities and related technical consultancy; technical testing and analysis; advertising; labour recruitment and provision of personnel; investigation and security activities; industrial cleaning and miscellaneous others.
  
   
• 82. 

  Source: EU Labour Force Survey Eurostat.
  
   
• 83. 

  Source: Eurostat, Developments for services during the second quarter of 2003, Statistics in focus 36/2003.
  
   
• 84. 

  'Economic Impact of regulation in the field of liberal professions in different EU Member States', Ian Paterson, Marcel Fink, Anthony Ogus, Institute for Advanced Studies, Vienna, January 2003.
  
   
• 85. 

  These and other related documents are accessible at: europa.eu.int/comm/competition/ liberalization/conference/libprofconference.htm.
  
   
• 86. 

  93/438/EEC: Commission Decision of 30 June 1993 relating to a proceeding pursuant to Article 85 of the EEC Treaty (IV/33.407 - CNSD) OJ L 203, 13.08.1993 p. 27.
  
   
• 87. 

  See OECD Journal of Competition Law and Policy No. 4, February 2002, 'Competition in Professional Services', p.56 to 57, and Internet publication for the OECD full report www.oecd.org/dataoecd/35/4/ 1920231.pdf. See also the references in footnotes 18 and 19.
  
   
• 88. 

  European Parliament resolution on market regulations and competition rules for the liberal professions, 16.12.2003.
  
   
• 89. 

  See Directive 97/55/EC of 6 October 1997 amending Directive 84/450/EEC concerning misleading advertising so as to include comparative advertising, OJ No L 290, 23.10.1997, p 18.
  
   
• 90. 

  Research on advertising restrictions in the legal profession, for example, is summarised by Stephen, F.H. and J.H. Love, Regulation of the Legal Profession, in B. Bouckaert and G. De Geest (eds) Encyclopedia of Law and Economics, Volume III: The Regulation of Contracts, Cheltenham, 2000, p.987-1017.
  
   
• 91. 

  Cox C. and S. Foster, 'The Costs and Benefits of Occupational Regulation' Bureau of Economics Staff Report to the Federal Trade Commission, 1990, p. 26-27.
  
   
• 92. 

  The OECD is carrying out ongoing work on competition in professional services, including some of the professions not covered here.
  
   
• 93. 

  Case C-41/90 Höfner and Elser
   
• 94. 

  Case C-35/96, Commission v. Italy (CNSD)
   
• 95. 

  Cases C-160/91 Poucet
   
• 96. 

  Case C-364/92, Eurocontrol,
   
• 97. 

  This was the case for the public employment office in Höfner (op cit note 20), the airport authority in Case C-82/01 P Aéroports de Paris
   
• 98. 

  Opinion of Advocate General Jacobs in C-180/98 and C-184/98 Pavlov op cit note 22 and judgment in Case C-22/98, Becu
   
• 99. 

  Indeed, the Court confirmed in Wouters op cit note 20, para 48, that lawyers offer, for a fee, services in the form of legal assistance and representation of clients in legal proceedings. Similar reasoning applies for other professions, such as customs agents in the two CNSD (T- 513/93 and C-35/96) cases and medical specialist doctors in Pavlov op cit note 22.
  
   
• 100. 

  CNSD, op cit note 21, para 38.
  
   
• 101. 

  Wouters, op cit note 20, para 49.
  
   
• 102. 

  Wouters, op cit note 20, para 64.
  
   
• 103. 

  Wouters, op cit note 20, paras 65 and 66.
  
   
• 104. 

  Advocate General Léger in his Opinion in Case C-35/99 Arduino,
   
• 105. 

  Advocate General Jacobs in his Opinion in Albany op cit note 22.
  
   
• 106. 

  Wouters, op cit note 20 paras 61-64 and Arduino op cit note 31, paras 37-39.
  
   
• 107. 

  Wouters, op cit note 20, para 68.
  
   
• 108. 

  Commission Decision of 30.6.1993 93/438/EEC CNSD.,(OJ L 203, 13.08.1993.
  
   
• 109. 

  Commission Decision of 30.1.1995 95/188/EC (OJ L 12 , 02.06.1995) relating to a proceeding under Article 85 of the EC Treaty (IV/33.686 - Coapi), , p.37.
  
   
• 110. 

  Commission Decision of 7.4.1999 1999/267/EC (OJ L 106, 23.04.1999), p.14 relating to a proceeding pursuant to Article 85 of the EC Treaty (IV/36.147 EPI code of conduct), . See also judgment of the Court of First Instance in case T-144/99 Commission v Netherlands
   
• 111. 

  Source: Eurostat (2002) European business: facts and figures. Services include construction but exclude social services and public administration.
  
   
• 112. 

  Wouters, op cit note 20, para 95 and Arduino op cit note 31, para 33.
  
   
• 113. 

  The OECD is carrying out ongoing work on competition in professional services, including some of the professions not covered here.
  
   
• 114. 

  The OECD is carrying out ongoing work on competition in professional services, including some of the professions not covered here.
  
   
• 115. 

  Wouters, op cit note 20, para 110.
  
   
• 116. 

  Wouters , op cit note 20, paragraphs 97-110.
  
   
• 117. 

  Case C-13/77,
   
• 118. 

  Case C-198/01, Consorzio Industrie Fiammiferi (CIF)
   
• 119. 

  C-359/95 P and C-379/95 P, Ladbroke
   
• 120. 

  42.Joined cases T-191/98, T-212/98 to T-214/98, Atlantic Container Line v. Commission
   
• 121. 

  Case T-513/93, CNSD
   
• 122. 

  Council Regulation (EEC) 4064/89, OJ L 395, 30.12.1989; substituted from 1 May 2004 with Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 of 20 January 2004 on the control of concentrations between undertakings, OJ L 24 of 29.01.2004.
  
   
• 123. 

  The OECD is carrying out ongoing work on competition in professional services, including some of the professions not covered here.
  
   
• 124. 

  Council Regulation (EEC) 4064/89, OJ L 395, 30.12.1989; substituted from 1 May 2004 with Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 of 20 January 2004 on the control of concentrations between undertakings, OJ L 24 of 29.01.2004.
  
   
• 125. 

  CIF, op cit note 42, para 55.
  
   
• 126. 

  CIF, op cit note 42 para 54.
  
   
• 127. 

  The OECD is carrying out ongoing work on competition in professional services, including some of the professions not covered here.
  
   
• 128. 

  Source: Eurostat (2002) European business: facts and figures. Services include construction but exclude social services and public administration.
  
   
• 129. 

  The OECD is carrying out ongoing work on competition in professional services, including some of the professions not covered here.
  
   
• 130. 

  Council Regulation (EEC) 4064/89, OJ L 395, 30.12.1989; substituted from 1 May 2004 with Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 of 20 January 2004 on the control of concentrations between undertakings, OJ L 24 of 29.01.2004.
  
   
• 131. 

  Council Regulation (EEC) 4064/89, OJ L 395, 30.12.1989; substituted from 1 May 2004 with Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 of 20 January 2004 on the control of concentrations between undertakings, OJ L 24 of 29.01.2004.
  
   
• 132. 

  Council Regulation (EEC) 4064/89, OJ L 395, 30.12.1989; substituted from 1 May 2004 with Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 of 20 January 2004 on the control of concentrations between undertakings, OJ L 24 of 29.01.2004.
  
   
• 133. 

  Council Regulation (EEC) 4064/89, OJ L 395, 30.12.1989; substituted from 1 May 2004 with Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 of 20 January 2004 on the control of concentrations between undertakings, OJ L 24 of 29.01.2004.
  
   
• 134. 

  Arduino, op cit note31 para 34.
  
   
• 135. 

  Arduino op cit note 31 paras 34-35.
  
   
• 136. 

  Council Regulation (EEC) 4064/89, OJ L 395, 30.12.1989; substituted from 1 May 2004 with Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 of 20 January 2004 on the control of concentrations between undertakings, OJ L 24 of 29.01.2004.
  
   
• 137. 

  Council Regulation (EEC) 4064/89, OJ L 395, 30.12.1989; substituted from 1 May 2004 with Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 of 20 January 2004 on the control of concentrations between undertakings, OJ L 24 of 29.01.2004.
  
   
• 138. 

  Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2003 of 16 December 2002 on the implementation of the rules on competition laid down in Articles 81 and 82 of the Treaty, (OJ L 1 of 4.1.2003, p.
  
  1),
  
   
• 139. 

  De Europese Commissie kent nummers toe aan officiële documenten van de Europese Unie. De Commissie maakt onderscheid in een aantal typen documenten door middel van het toekennen van verschillende nummerseries. Het onderscheid is gebaseerd op het soort document en/of de instelling van de Unie van wie het document afkomstig is.
   
• 140. 

  De Raad van de Europese Unie kent aan wetgevingsdossiers een uniek toe. Dit nummer bestaat uit een vijfcijferig volgnummer gevolgd door een schuine streep met de laatste twee cijfers van het jaartal, bijvoorbeeld 12345/00 - een document met nummer 12345 uit het jaar 2000.
   
• 141. 

  Het interinstitutionele nummer is een nummerreeks die binnen de Europese Unie toegekend wordt aan voorstellen voor regelgeving van de Europese Commissie.
  Binnen de Europese Unie worden nog een aantal andere nummerseries gebruikt. Iedere instelling heeft één of meerdere sets documenten met ieder een eigen nummering. Die reeksen komen niet overeen met elkaar of het interinstitutioneel nummer.
   
• 142. 

  Deze databank van de Europese Unie biedt de mogelijkheid de actuele werkzaamheden (workflow) van de Europese instellingen (Europees Parlement, Raad, ESC, Comité van de Regio's, Europese Centrale Bank, Hof van Justitie enz.) te volgen. EURlex volgt alle voorstellen (zoals wetgevende en begrotingsdossiers) en mededelingen van de Commissie, vanaf het moment dat ze aan de Raad of het Europees Parlement worden voorgelegd.
   
• 143. 

  Als dag van bekendmaking van een Europees besluit geldt de dag waarop het besluit in het Publicatieblad wordt bekendgemaakt, en daardoor in alle officiële talen van de Europese Unie bij het Publicatiebureau beschikbaar is.