Oecd Competition Assessment Reviews Portugal Volume Ii Self Regulated Professions

Against this backdrop, this report examines regulations for 13 self-regulated professions (lawyers, solicitors, notaries, bailiffs, architects, engineers, technical engineers, certified accountants, auditors, economists, customs brokers, nutritionists and pharmacists).

Portugal's services markets are among the most heavily regulated in the OECD. As vital inputs into the business sector, services provided by professionals, such as lawyers and engineers, generate up to 1.8 times their value in outputs by firms that use them. However, structural flaws in the regulation make professional services highly expensive for firms, diminishing their ability to compete effectively. Regulatory restrictions also hamper innovation and efficiency within the professions. Against this backdrop, this report examines regulations for 13 self-regulated professions (lawyers, solicitors, notaries, bailiffs, architects, engineers, technical engineers, certified accountants, auditors, economists, customs brokers, nutritionists and pharmacists). From 923 pieces of legislation analysed, the report makes 348 individual recommendations for amending or removing provisions to improve competition, and makes a detailed inventory of the analysis underlying the work. Analysis of Portuguese legislation and professions was complemented by research into international experiences and wide consultations with stakeholders from the public and private sectors. The OECD recommendations aim to remove or modify overly restrictive provisions in order to facilitate the access or exercise of the professions, to benefit businesses and consumers alike. This report identifies the sources of those benefits and gives estimates of their impact. Provided all recommendations are fully implemented, the benefit to the economy from lifting the barriers in the 13 liberal professions is estimated at around EUR 130 million a year.

. Against this backdrop, this report analyses Portuguese regulations for road, railway and maritime transport, and many ancillary services (such as vehicle inspection centres), as well as Portugal’s ports.

This review analyses regulatory barriers to competition in the sectors of construction and tourism in Iceland, with the goal of helping Icelandic authorities make regulation more pro-competitive while fostering long-lasting growth.

Many of Mexico’s product markets remain among the most heavily regulated in the OECD. Structural flaws adversely affect the ability of firms to effectively compete in the markets and hamper innovation, efficiency and productivity.

This report examines how regulatory reforms could help Portugal build a more enabling and competitive environment for investment, in particular foreign direct investment (FDI).

Portugal’s economic recovery is now well established, with GDP back to its pre-crisis level. However, legacies of the recent crisis remain. A high public debt burden and ongoing financial sector vulnerabilities make the economy less resilient. The country is also facing a rapidly ageing ...

Drawing on the OECD Competition Assessment Toolkit, this report identifies 227 problematic regulations in Romania and makes 152 specific recommendations on legal provisions that should be amended or repealed.