22. Recognises the great importance of financial service intermediaries (agents and brokers), in providing financial services from other Member States to consumers and SMEs; calls on the Commission to ensure a framework that will strengthen that industrial sector; reiterates that any framework for that sector must follow the principle 'same business, same risks, same rules', while avoiding an ill-adapted 'one-size-fits-all' approach; stresses that any provision for intermediaries must ensure legal certainty for agents and brokers, as well as the protection of consumers, for example from dubiou ...[+++]s sales practices; emphasises, furthermore, that rules should also be established for the training of financial services intermediaries and advertising and sales consultancies;

22. Recognises the great importance of financial service intermediaries (agents and brokers), in providing financial services from other Member States to consumers and SMEs; calls on the Commission to ensure a framework that will strengthen that industrial sector; reiterates that any framework for that sector must follow the principle 'same business, same risks, same rules', while avoiding an ill-adapted 'one-size-fits-all' approach; stresses that any provision for intermediaries must ensure legal certainty for agents and brokers, as well as the protection of consumers, for example from dubiou ...[+++]s sales practices; emphasises, furthermore, that rules should also be established for the training of financial services intermediaries and advertising and sales consultancies;

As regards financial services, lack of information in advertising on the annual rate and the cost of credit, offers of misleading bargains for credit contracts with a low interest rate, and lack of proper information on the legal obligations related to the signing of contracts were amongst the practices reported.[113] In relation to immovable property, examples of practices encountered were: misdescription of property characteristics, lack of transparency in relation to the cost of the property and respective taxes, bait advertising, aggressive practices by real estate agents such as intimidating consumers into signing an exclusive contr ...[+++]act with an agent when attempting to sell their properties.

As regards financial services, lack of information in advertising on the annual rate and the cost of credit, offers of misleading bargains for credit contracts with a low interest rate, and lack of proper information on the legal obligations related to the signing of contracts were amongst the practices reported.[113] In relation to immovable property, examples of practices encountered were: misdescription of property characteristics, lack of transparency in relation to the cost of the property and respective taxes, bait advertising, aggressive practices by real estate agents such as intimidating consumers into signing an exclusive contr ...[+++]act with an agent when attempting to sell their properties.

In part 2 of the Guidelines, concerning agency agreements (paragraphs 12-21), attention should be paid to the actual current economic situation, which is that an agent, in order to implement the agreement properly, does have to bear a certain financial or economic risk, such as a contribution to publicity costs ; that being so, it would be desirable for the Commission to review paragraph 17 of the Guidelines; Paragraph 17 of the Guidelines should at least stipulate that a small contribution to publicity costs, by an agent ...[+++], should have no bearing on the fact that the agreement lies outside the scope of Article 81 (1);

All other provisions remained in force, notably the requirement to register, to identify themselves in their election advertising, to appoint a financial agent, to avoid using anonymous or foreign donations for their election advertising, and after the election, to report on election advertising expenditures as well as on contributions received for election advertising.