With reference to your recent articles on professional organisations and their amalgamation into one body, I wonder if any of the present organisations have considered what the effect of the changes to the EU constitution might be.

The EU will be transferring from a treaty-based agreement to a super-entity with a constitutional basis. This change is set to give it a greater legal personality and will formally establish the primacy of EU law over that of national governments.

It is my understanding that any chartered organisation or institute bearing the name “Royal” will at best be defunct and at worst no longer legal under EU law. This will give an interesting challenge to the likes of the RIBA, RICS, and CIBS. But whether it will mean an end to exorbitant professional fees is another matter.

Greg Trickey, via email

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