Losing your licence

The Polish government has announced plans to deregulate dozens of professions - 60 out of 380 on the list of those that currently require licences. Among the 49 professions to be liberalised in the first wave are those of real estate agents and property managers.Donald Tusk launched the liberalisation programme in his first prime ministerial address to parliament after being re-elected last year; and at the beginning of March, the Minister of Justice Jarosław Gowin revealed details of the first phase of the deregulation. He expects that the bill will be presented to the lower chamber, the Sejm, this month. The government's plans have triggered protests from the professional groups in question, with the majority of the representatives of both real estate professions firmly against the removal of barriers to entering their occupations, arguing that the proposal increases the risk to clients and their monetary security. However, there are some people in the business who are not concerned