Reserved professional titles. The mode of pursuit of a regulated profession also covers situations in which the use of a professional title is limited by regulatory provisions to holders of a specific professional qualification (c.f. Article 3 of Directive 2005/36/EC). In other words, the title itself is the main means through which the profession is regulated, and professional associations have the right to confer (or to withdraw) the use of a reserved professional title. Annex I of the Recognition of Professional Qualifications Directive provides a list of regulated titles falling under the definition of "regulated profession". The most recent update from June 22nd 2011 suggests that only the UK and Ireland use titles as a means of regulating the market without reserving these activities to the holders of specific professional qualifications. However, our research suggests that there are a number of other Member States that have a small number of reserved professional titles, such as Denmark, Finland and the Netherlands. 45 Designatory letters are letters that can be used after an individual’s name by those professionals that hold an appropriate professional qualification and are fully paid up members of the corresponding professional association Reserved titles are an alternative way of regulating the market, since there is no obligation on consumers (or enterprises) to use their services. However only the holders of the required qualifications can act under the reserved professional title. Examples of the way in which reserved titles operate in the limited number of EU countries within study scope where they are used are now provided. In the UK, many professions are regulated through a reserved professional title, a legally protected term overseen by professional associations46 who are responsible for overseeing the title’s usage in their capacity as regulatory authorities. Individuals using a particular reserved title must be a member of the corresponding regulated professional body, which have the right to confer reserved professional titles. As part of their enforcement responsibilities, they also have the ability to take the right to use the title away in the case of any infringement of professional rules, misconduct or non-payment of membership fees. Chartered status was the most common form of reserved title linked to a qualification requirement in the UK. Although chartered status does carry strong brand recognition among consumers, the research suggested that in the UK, the...
