Ireland faces EU legal action on worker directive

IRELAND is among seven countries facing legal action by the EU for failing to introduce laws recognising the qualifications of a range of workers including "itinerant tradesmen".

The EU rules are designed to make it easier for people to move around EU countries and set up shop if they wish without being blocked by red tape.

Many professional qualifications, such as those of doctors, lawyers, teachers, are already given equal recognition in all 15 member states.

But Ireland and the other six member states Britain, Germany, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and Austria were given until the end of July last year to extend the law to cover "industrial, commercial and craft occupations". That means workers such as electricians, tilers, hairdressers and itinerant tradesmen, according to the Commission.

Governments were meant to transpose a directive on the recognition of their qualifications into domestic law.

"The directive is supposed to provide automatic recognition of qualifications, attested by the applicant's professional experience," said Commission spokesman on the single market, Jonathan Todd.

"It also allows those who haven't got professional experience to apply for recognition, on certain conditions, of their diplomas, certificates and other educational qualifications."

Now Ireland and the other member states have been notified the Commission is bringing a court action against them on the grounds that failing to apply the EU directive "is likely to prove an obstacle to the free movement of workers, freedom of establishment and freedom to provide services in the sectors concerned".