Galery

1

Changes in the rules for exercising of a profession and the method of payment will impose the government at the end of this year to lawyers, notaries, architects, chartered accountants and pharmacists.

In the framework of the agreement with the International Monetary Fund and Europartners, the government will make administrative changes among all scientific professions, for which it prepares a draft bill, which most likely will be submitted to parliament in September.

Ministry of Finance will have to follow strictly the agreed deadlines in the following order: to revoke the minimum wages, the restrictions related to the exercising of a profession by geographical criteria and the ban on advertising (currently lawyers are only advertised on the Internet), which causes opposing reactions among the professionals concerned says Vima newspaper.

At the same time the European Commission once again puts pressure on Greece to open these fields of services as though the relevant EU Directive (2006/123) is implemented in national legislation the necessary regulations have not been taken to implement the law.

The bill, which the Government prepares will include the following points:

* Repeal of minimum wages, of the restrictions related to the exercising of a profession by geographical criteria, such as where in Greece lawyers can exercise their profession and the lifting of the ban on advertising activity.

* Opening of the profession of notaries is related to the elimination of the number of notary offices and the introduction in this work of the lawyers.

* Repeal of minimum payment of architects, engineers and all the technical professions.

* Repeal of minimum required payment for chartered accountants.

* Repeal all restrictions in the profession of pharmacists related to the number of pharmacies and the minimum profit.

The general opinion is that after the minimum wages are repealed young lawyers (those who exercise their profession for five years) will fail to survive. Out of 20 000 lawyers in Athens around 7000 are the young lawyers, and each year sign up another 1200. Also, with the abolition of minimum wages lawyers and engineers fear that colleagues of theirs will invade from the new member states of the EU.

Besides this value added tax of 23% will also be introduced for every act performed by lawyers in the courts of the country. VAT will be imposed for the moment on the minimum wage, but after it is repealed it will be charged on each service, which the lawyers will perform on the amount written on the invoice, which they will issued.