The RICS is to push for greater freedom for UK building surveyors to work in mainland Europe.

The RICS building surveyor qualification is not recognised by other European Union countries, which means that while UK architects are allowed to sign off buildings on completion, UK building surveyors are not and therefore miss out on work.

Jill Craig, head of European policy development at RICS Europe, said it wanted to prove UK qualified building surveyors were competent to do the same job in other EU countries.

She said: 鈥淚f you鈥檙e a chartered surveyor qualified in the UK or Ireland then you should be able to do it in France, Spain or Greece.鈥�

On 7 September 2005 the EU adopted the Recognition of Professional Qualifications Directive, which means that professional qualifications gained in one country should be recognised in others.

The EU鈥檚 25 member nations will now have to implement the directive in their own countries, which will open up more work for UK building surveyors abroad.

RICS Europe last week gained the support of the building surveying faculty of the RICS and is set to start campaigning in January 2006.

It is also planning to push ahead with a legal test case, probably in France, to raise awareness. This would involve an RICS-qualified building surveyor applying to use his or her qualification abroad.