Up to 17 European countries will on Thursday be told to scrap the privileges and protection enjoyed by notaries, in a move the European Commission hopes will cut the cost of many legal transactions, including buying a house and signing a marriage contract.

Brussels will argue that notaries – which in most EU member states have the exclusive right to sign off on complex and high-value transactions – must face more competition from foreign lawyers. The move is certain to meet stiff resistance, not just from the notaries but from member states such as Germany and France, which view the profession as an integral part of their legal systems.