Marta Esquivel proposes bill to end mandatory professional membership

Marta Esquivel Rodríguez, a deputy from the Partido Pueblo Soberano (PPSO), has introduced a legislative bill (expediente 25.747) aimed at eliminating mandatory professional membership for most liberal professions.

The proposal suggests that anyone holding an academic degree from a recognized public or private university could practice their profession without being required to join a professional college. For degrees obtained abroad, the individual must first complete recognition or equalization procedures through the Consejo Nacional de Rectores (CONARE).

Mandatory membership would be preserved only for specific roles where professional practice could directly impact life, health, or public safety. These exceptions include:

• Health: Medicine, surgery, pharmacy, microbiology, dentistry, nursing, and other medical specialties involving direct clinical care. • Law: Specifically for legal representation, technical defense, or notary functions. • Engineering: Civil, structural, electrical, mechanical, electromechanical, topographic, construction, and telecommunications engineering, provided the work involves design, calculation, or maintenance of systems where failure could compromise public safety or the environment.