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Over 400 professions free to practice in Greece

02 July 2011 / 19:07:00  GRReporter
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As of today, Greece opened its labor market for over 400 professions, excluding lawyers, architects and construction engineers and including weapon stores, security companies, explosive producers and insurance agents.

“On July 2, over 400 professions are being liberalized,” staed the Ministry of finance chief secretary Ilias plaskovitis in front of “Vima” newspaper, utterly rejecting any accusations of the delay. 

The law was voted in the Parliament on February 16 and published in the State Gazette. It states that precisely 4 months after its promulgation all regarded professions should be liberalized, in accordance with directive 123/2006, known as the European Union’s “Balkenstein” directive for service market liberalization.

All “unjustified restrictions for accessing and practicing professions,” and more specifically- the restriction in the number of people who may exercise a profession, are being overruled, together with geographical restrictions and regulations forcing minimum and maximum prices, and the issuance in advance of administrative permit for exercising a profession.

The abovementioned restrictions will be removed two months after voting the law, i. e. on July 2.

The general regulation relates to all professions, except those mentioned in the memorandum – lawyers, construction engineers, notaries and auditors. These professions will bear the following changes:

Lawyers: Territorial restrictions for exercising legal professions are removed: any lawyer may work in any court in the country. Obligatory minimum reimbursement and the system for advanced payment from the college of barristers are also replaced. The payment to a lawyer will be freely determined though a written agreement. He (not his client) is obliged to pay in time the legal payments and deductions in favor of insurance funds and third persons in the college of barristers.

Notaries: The law provides for a new determination of proportionate reimbursements, so that it declines with the increase in value of the object of the deal. Until June 2, a common decision by the Ministries of Justice and Finance is expected to come into force to determine proportionate reimbursement.

Architects, construction engineers: Regarding private construction projects, minimum obligatory remuneration, together with the system for advanced repayment by the Technical chamber of Greece are removed. In the research of public construction projects, participants should freely extend their financial offer that may be lower than the previously calculated reimbursement.

Auditors: The minimum obligatory hourly wage, valid today, will be removed.

The ministry of finance published today an exemplary list of professions, which fall within the jurisdiction of L. 3919/2011, calculating a total of 400 professions to be liberalized. 

Some of the most widespread professions, which any citizen, without restriction, will be able to practice, are:

  1. Cosmetician
  2. Bread and pastry producer
  3. Insurance agent
  4. Funeral agent
  5. Dietician
  6. Interpreter
  7. Diver
  8. Camera operator
  9. Instructor
  10. Taxi driver
  11. Newspaper salesperson
  12. Electrician
  13. Private school
  14. Explosives producer
  15. Social worker
  16. Hair stylist/Barber
  17. Meat and meat products salesperson
  18. Private security companies
  19. Retail
  20. Dock worker
  21. Accountant
  22. Speech-therapist
  23. Obstetrician
  24. Make-up artist
  25. Beekeeper
  26. Mediator professions
  27. Safeguard
  28. Tourist guide
  29. Carpenter
  30. Commercial transport
  31. Dental technician
  32. Economist
  33. Weapon stores
  34. Optician
  35. Appraisers
  36. Firework producers
  37. Radio-electro-technician
  38. Screenwriter
  39. Director
  40. Lift technicians
  41. Photographic laboratory technician
  42. Telecommunications technician
  43. Cinema and television technician
  44. Plumber
  45. Physiotherapist
  46. Psychologist

 

More specifically, 4 months after publishing the law – from June 2, 2011- any restriction regarding the following, is not valid:

-        restricting the number of people who have access to a profession

-        creates interdependence between the permit issuance and the assessment of the actual need

-        territorial restriction in the right of exercising a profession

-        determining minimum distances between those exercising the profession

-        forbids the creation of more than one facility by the same person

-        enforces or forbids the distribution of products by a specific facility

-        enforces or forbids the exercising of a profession under specific corporate norms

-        restricts taking part in corporate capital with regard of job position

-        enforces obligatory minimal prices

-        obliges those who exercise a profession to perform other specific activities

 

All of the abovementioned restrictions are being removed as of July 2, with no requirement of another administrative act.

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