28/03/2006 (Agence Europe) - The Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE), which represents over 700,000 lawyers, welcomed the European Parliament's resolution, adopted at the plenary on 23 March, on legal professions and general interest in the functioning of legal systems. In a press release, the CCBE agrees with the EP's approach saying “any reform of legal professions has far-reaching consequences going beyond competition law into the field of freedom, security and justice, and any reform is best carried out at a national level since the authorities of the Member States are in the best position to define the rules that apply to legal professions”. This resolution follows the oral question on legal professions raised on 15 March in European Parliament plenary during which Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes spoke against fixing a compulsory rate for fees (see EUROPE 9153).