Da una mia fonte che ringrazio. Per i non anglofoni: diventate esterofili. 
04/11/2011
On the way to a new European Association
Invitation to participate in the political work
Dear Colleagues,
Dear members of the national real estate associations,
In May this year we witnessed the foundation of the new European Platform of CEPI and CEI. For us as the two presidents of the European associations the signature of the agreement in presence of 800 real estate professionals from around Europe in Berlin represented a very strong commitment. We instantly started the work of the new platform and decided not to waste any time in forming a new organizational body. It is an active group that makes the first steps in this new European Platform. Together with Jens-Ulrich Kießling, who is chair of the Executive Board of the new platform, we as the presidents of the two European associations CEPI and CEI are the leadership team in the new rooftop organization. We already had two meetings of the joint boards of CEI and CEPI and are preparing now the next meeting.
Stronger political influence in Brussels
For us the power of the European platform and the efficiency in representing the interest of the real estate agents and managers in Europe is directly connected with a strong presence of our group in Brussels. Therefore the secretariat in Brussels is asked to pull all necessary strings and put together all information from the political decision makers in Brussels in order to prepare the positions and statements of the European platform.
Common Project: Differencies in National Legislation for Real Estate Professions
During the last meeting of the Executive Board and in a joint Board meeting of CEPI and CEI we decided to start two new common projects in the Platform. One of these projects is dealing with the differencies of the national legislation for the professions of real estate agents and real estate managers in the member countries of the EU 27. We feel that the free movement of services of real estate professions in Europe could be significantly better. We need unified and stable basic conditions as rules for our professions in whole Europe. In our associations CEI and CEPI are more than 200.000 real estate agents and managers organized. We are the major representation of interests of real estate professions in Europe. As European associations we try to harmonize the rules for our professions in Europe. Especially the national trade law is completely different in eac h of our member countries. It is quite difficult for an individual company to find out these rules. As European platform we have the task to put all information together and discus if there is a chance to unify these rules. In order to prepare that work we are now bringing together all information.
Common Project: Revision of Standards
The second project of the European platform deals with the educational level of the real estate professions and the standardization of the real estate professions in Europe. One of the main goals of our work in the new platform is to lift the level of the services of the real estate professions in Europe. The good results of the publication of the EN 15733 for the services of real estate agents should force the European platform to revise that standard and to discus if there are any necessary changes in the existing standard. We want to discus if there is a need for a standard for real estate managers as well. Finally the educational requirements that are set in the standard are recognized as a basic level by our two associations. We want to discus the EURODOC rules for the education of real estate professions and want to find out if we can put these as a common level for the educatio n of real estate practitioners in Europe.
Professional Card on its way
The professional card is a major item in Europe in the moment. CEPI made a pilot study to check how a professional card and the process of delivering the card could look like. The Professional Card aims to increase the mobility of the services of the real estate professions in Europe. Both associations of CEPI and CEI see the Professional Card as a major step for the recognition of the profession europewide.
Challenge Single Market Act
The Single Market Act of the EU Commission again shows us that the single market is the main goal of the EU. The single market can become true when we have a free movement of people, of goods and of services. When people move they are looking for a place to live. Especially when you are a foreigner you will go to a real estate agent. Within the next months we are expecting important decisions in the EU parliament which will have strong influence on the real estate professions. The CEPI secretariat and experts from member associations have been present during the Single Market Act Conference in Krakovia this October.
A new association at the horizon
As you can see from the new common projects and from the development in the two important matters of the professional card and the development in the Single Market Act CEPI and CEI are working close together. In the coming months the working groups for the two common projects are doing their work and will present their results next year. For us as the two presidents of CEPI and CEI it is important that people in these working groups and Directors of the respective Boards work closely together.
The new political platform shall become the new European association for real estate professions in the next 18 months. We all want to achieve a higher importance in political decisions in Brussels for all real estate agents and managers.
We aim to continue the way of strengthening the representation of the real estate profession in European politics.
During the next 18 months the two Boards of CEPI and CEI will make all necessary preparations to become one association. The Executive Board is preparing all the documents, the votes and fees and all the paperwork. We as the two presidents of CEPI and CEI want to emphasize that the new association will be the stronger the more national associations will be part of the new association and the power of this new association will be more intense the more input we receive from the national association. We want to invite all of you to bring in ideas, to bring in new items that have to be discussed on the European level and to compare the practise in your countries with the practises in other members countries and members associations.
Let's create the future of the real estate business and the framework for the estate professions in Europe together.
60; Yours sincerely,
