European Day of the Professional
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has officially declared June 9 as the European Day of the Liberal Professions. The "day" is to raise awareness by discussing during a plenary session of the EESC three thematic categories: the liberal...
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has officially declared June 9 as the European Day of the Liberal Professions.
The "day" is to raise awareness by discussing during a plenary session of the EESC three thematic categories: the liberal professions and the internal market; the liberal professions and the public service; and the "Small Business Act".
The specificity of the liberal professions will be discussed in the introductory session.
The Federation of Professional Associations (MFPA) as a member of the Council of Liberal Professions of Europe (CEPLIS) is promoting the event on a national level.
According to Directive 2005/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications, the liberal professionals are those practised on the basis of relevant professional qualifications in a personal, responsible and professionally independent capacity by those providing intellectual and conceptual services in the interest of the client and the public.
The scope of the MFPA is to create the climate necessary for the development of an interdisciplinary approach to all professions and their work.
Its aims and objectives are the promotion of the professions, the maintenance of professional standards and the promotion of inter-professional relationships.
It also aims to contribute towards the advancement of the interests of society by maintaining high professional standards.
The MFPA has 12 member organisations while another five professional organisations use the premises. All these organisations use the federation's premises to hold their periodical meetings and for their operations. The premises offer a fully equipped 100-seat conference hall and five board rooms among other facilities.
The federation welcomes new professional associations to join the organisation. The MFPA sustains the new professions by offering them help to structure themselves and adopt modern codes of conduct and statutes.
The council of the federation meets on a monthly basis and is made up of two members representing each member association. The MFPA is involved in the international scene giving input to directives that are being discussed in the EU. On the local scene, it has helped to form the Forum of Civil Society Organisations (FCSO), the major umbrella organisation of civil society and also forms part of the civil society committee within MCESD.
The MFPA was part of the process whereby the code of conduct for all professionals throughout the EU was forged. It would like all professional associations in Malta to include these eight points in their code of conduct. This is in line with Article 37 of the Directive on Services in the Internal Market (2006/123/EC). This directive requires member states, in cooperation with the Commission, to encourage the drawing up at community level, of professional codes of conduct and to ensure that such codes are accessible at a distance by electronic means.
The following are the eight points of the code of conduct and are targeted towards the well-being of the client/patient/cus tomer:
Confidentiality
Confidentiality is the cornerstone for the building of trust between professionals and their clients or patients.
Participation in continuous professional development
Those who use professional services have a right to expect that practitioners will keep their knowledge in their field of practice up-to-date and will extend their competencies as the demand for new services develops.
Independence and impartiality
Those who use liberal professional services have a right to expect assessment of circumstances to be carried out and decisions to be made impartially and objectively, without pressure from external sources and without conflicts of interest.
Honesty and integrity
Those who use liberal professional services have the right to expect to be treated with courtesy and respect.
Supervision of support staff
Those who use professional services place their trust in the practitioner with whom they have direct contact and have the right to be confident that tasks will be delegated only to members of support staff who have the necessary knowledge and competencies.
Compliance with code of conduct and practice
Those who use professional services have the right to expect a service of high quality through strict compliance with all relevant legislation and codes of practice.
Professional liability insurance
Those who use a professional service have the right to expect adequate information from the provider, on the insurance held, or other form of guarantee which is equivalent or comparable, to cover liabilities in the event of adverse effects resulting from errors or omissions made in the provision of a service.
Conflict with moral or religious beliefs
Those who lawfully seek a professional service should not have access to that service barred due to the moral or religious beliefs of the individual professional from whom that service is initially sought.
The members of the federation are the Medical Association of Malta (MAM), Malta Institute of Accountants (MIA), Chamber of Engineers (CoE), Kamra tal-Periti (KTP), Dental Association of Malta (DAM), Malta Chamber of Pharmacists (MCOP), Association of Speech-Language Pathologists (ASLP), Maltese Psychological Association (MPA), Maltese Association of Youth Workers (MAY), Malta Veterinarian Association (MVA), Malta Association of Social Workers (MASW), and Malta Professional Association of Conservators-Restorers (MAPCo-Re).
• Mr Rizzo is president of the Malta Federation of Professional Associations.
The "day" is to raise awareness by discussing during a plenary session of the EESC three thematic categories: the liberal professions and the internal market; the liberal professions and the public service; and the "Small Business Act".
The specificity of the liberal professions will be discussed in the introductory session.
The Federation of Professional Associations (MFPA) as a member of the Council of Liberal Professions of Europe (CEPLIS) is promoting the event on a national level.
According to Directive 2005/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications, the liberal professionals are those practised on the basis of relevant professional qualifications in a personal, responsible and professionally independent capacity by those providing intellectual and conceptual services in the interest of the client and the public.
The scope of the MFPA is to create the climate necessary for the development of an interdisciplinary approach to all professions and their work.
Its aims and objectives are the promotion of the professions, the maintenance of professional standards and the promotion of inter-professional relationships.
It also aims to contribute towards the advancement of the interests of society by maintaining high professional standards.
The MFPA has 12 member organisations while another five professional organisations use the premises. All these organisations use the federation's premises to hold their periodical meetings and for their operations. The premises offer a fully equipped 100-seat conference hall and five board rooms among other facilities.
The federation welcomes new professional associations to join the organisation. The MFPA sustains the new professions by offering them help to structure themselves and adopt modern codes of conduct and statutes.
The council of the federation meets on a monthly basis and is made up of two members representing each member association. The MFPA is involved in the international scene giving input to directives that are being discussed in the EU. On the local scene, it has helped to form the Forum of Civil Society Organisations (FCSO), the major umbrella organisation of civil society and also forms part of the civil society committee within MCESD.
The MFPA was part of the process whereby the code of conduct for all professionals throughout the EU was forged. It would like all professional associations in Malta to include these eight points in their code of conduct. This is in line with Article 37 of the Directive on Services in the Internal Market (2006/123/EC). This directive requires member states, in cooperation with the Commission, to encourage the drawing up at community level, of professional codes of conduct and to ensure that such codes are accessible at a distance by electronic means.
The following are the eight points of the code of conduct and are targeted towards the well-being of the client/patient/cus tomer:
Confidentiality
Confidentiality is the cornerstone for the building of trust between professionals and their clients or patients.
Participation in continuous professional development
Those who use professional services have a right to expect that practitioners will keep their knowledge in their field of practice up-to-date and will extend their competencies as the demand for new services develops.
Independence and impartiality
Those who use liberal professional services have a right to expect assessment of circumstances to be carried out and decisions to be made impartially and objectively, without pressure from external sources and without conflicts of interest.
Honesty and integrity
Those who use liberal professional services have the right to expect to be treated with courtesy and respect.
Supervision of support staff
Those who use professional services place their trust in the practitioner with whom they have direct contact and have the right to be confident that tasks will be delegated only to members of support staff who have the necessary knowledge and competencies.
Compliance with code of conduct and practice
Those who use professional services have the right to expect a service of high quality through strict compliance with all relevant legislation and codes of practice.
Professional liability insurance
Those who use a professional service have the right to expect adequate information from the provider, on the insurance held, or other form of guarantee which is equivalent or comparable, to cover liabilities in the event of adverse effects resulting from errors or omissions made in the provision of a service.
Conflict with moral or religious beliefs
Those who lawfully seek a professional service should not have access to that service barred due to the moral or religious beliefs of the individual professional from whom that service is initially sought.
The members of the federation are the Medical Association of Malta (MAM), Malta Institute of Accountants (MIA), Chamber of Engineers (CoE), Kamra tal-Periti (KTP), Dental Association of Malta (DAM), Malta Chamber of Pharmacists (MCOP), Association of Speech-Language Pathologists (ASLP), Maltese Psychological Association (MPA), Maltese Association of Youth Workers (MAY), Malta Veterinarian Association (MVA), Malta Association of Social Workers (MASW), and Malta Professional Association of Conservators-Restorers (MAPCo-Re).
• Mr Rizzo is president of the Malta Federation of Professional Associations.