Mutual recognition of professional qualifications

That this House notes with concern that, since the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union, UK-qualified professionals seeking to work in the EU have often been required to secure formal recognition of their qualifications before providing services or taking up employment; further notes that recognition requirements vary between individual EU Member States, creating additional cost, delay and uncertainty for professionals and businesses, particularly smaller firms seeking to operate across borders; recognises that the United Kingdom is a global hub for English-language services and remains one of Europe’s largest and most developed markets for professional and business services; also notes that accounting, management consultancy and legal services together contributed more than £80 billion to UK real output in 2024 and employed almost 1.4 million people; believes that the absence of comprehensive mutual recognition arrangements restricts the ability of UK service providers to make full use of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement’s business travel provisions, deliver short-term work, bid for contracts, support clients, move staff across borders and enable professionals to relocate with greater confidence; further believes that smoother professional mobility is essential in a modern service economy, where expertise, advice and project delivery often need to move quickly across borders; and calls on the Government to successfully negotiate and secure an ambitious UK-EU agreement on mutual recognition of professional qualifications to reduce barriers for UK professionals providing services across the European Union.