NEWSLETTER Consiglio Architetti
Europa - n° 3-03
Last Update : 11/12/2003
ACE Info 3-03
The monthly electronic note from the Architects Council
of Europe
A topical update on current issues and news.
Wednesday 10th December 2003
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EDITORIAL
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Welcome to the third issue of ACE Info,
the monthly update from the Architects' Council of Europe
that will give you, at a glance, information on current
issues, highlighting emerging areas of activity and informing
you of matters of interest in the field of architectural
policy.
ACE Info is issued on the second Wednesday
of each month. You are free to circulate the document as
widely as you wish, to translate its contents for use in
your publications and to refer to the information it contains
once you credit the ACE as the origin.
If you do not wish to receive this monthly
document, then please e-mail info@ace-cae.org requesting
to be removed from the list.
If you have information that you wish to
have included in the next issue then e-mail it (in English
or French please) to adrian.joyce@ace-cae.org Deadline for
submissions is the first Friday of each month.
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Bienvenue pour la troisième édition
de ACE Info, le bulletin mensuel du Conseil des Architectes
d'Europe qui vous donne, d'un coup d'œil, l'information
sur les sujets en cours, soulignant les domaines d'activités
émergents et vous informant sur les sujets d'intérêt
dans le domaine de la politique architecturale.
ACE Info paraît le second mercredi
de chaque mois. Vous pouvez faire circuler ce document aussi
largement que vous le souhaitez, le traduire pour l'utiliser
dans vos publications et faire référence à
l'information contenue dans celui-ci du moment que vous
précisez que l'information provient du CAE.
Si vous ne désirez plus recevoir
ce document mensuel, veuillez s'il vous plait, envoyer un
courriel à info@ace-cae.org en précisant que
vous désirez que votre nom soit enlevé de
la liste d'envoi.
Si vous désirez inclure des informations
dans la prochaine édition, n'hésitez pas à
envoyer un courriel (en anglais ou en français SVP)
à adrian.joyce@ace-cae.org La date limite est le
premier vendredi de chaque mois.
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CORE ISSUES
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RECOGNITION OF PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
DIRECTIVE
On the 27th November last the European
Parliament JURI Committee (Legal Affairs and the Internal
Market) voted on the amendments that had been tabled to
the proposal of the Commission for this Directive. The ACE
had been very active in examining the content of the Directive
and its likely impact on the profession. This work included
co-ordination with the other professions who currently have
a sectoral directive. In all, over 400 amendments were voted
upon and a significant proportion of the amendments that
were proposed by the ACE, its Member Organisations and the
other professions were adopted. The next stage in the process
will be a debate and vote in a full plenary session of the
Parliament. This vote is scheduled for 17th December in
Strasbourg.
PUBLIC PROCUREMENT LEGISLATIVE PACKAGE
The conciliation procedure on the Public
Procurement Legislative Package reached a successful conclusion
on 2nd December when the Council and the Parliament came
to an agreement on the work. The critical elements are that
the two bodies have agreed that social and environment factors
should be taken into account in certain circumstances and
that those providers wishing to submit tenders for public
contracts will not have to be registered on a list of eligible
tenderers with each and every public contracting authority.
The ACE Taskforce on Public Procurement is examining the
details of the agreement and will set down best practice
guidelines on procurement of architectural services that
Members will be asked to use to inform their national Governments
on how the provisions of the Public Procurement Package
should be transposed into national law for our sector.
RESEARCH
As reported in ACE Info 2, a proposal to
establish a European Technology Platform on the Built Environment
is being pursued by ECCREDI (European Council for Construction
Research, Development and Innovation). The proposal was
discussed at the ECCREDI Council meeting that took place
on 19th November and significant support for the proposal
was given. A drafting panel has been set up to prepare the
proposal and the ACE has been chosen to be the writer of
the document. It is intended that the document will be agreed
before Christmas, with a view to meeting Commissioner Busquin
in January 2004.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE ACE
The second General Assembly of the ACE
for 2004 took place in Brussels on 14th and 15th November
last. Highlights of the work of the Assembly included the
election of 6 members to the new Executive Board (the Presidency
rotates on an annual basis) with a mandate of 2 years (except
for the Treasurer whose mandate is one year).
The composition of the new Board will be:
President: Leopoldo Freyrie (Italy)
In-coming President: Marie-Helene Lucas (Luxembourg)
Out-going President: Katarina Nilsson (Sweden)
Treasurer: Jan Ketelaer (Belgium)
Finance Committee Vice-chair: Georg Pendl (Austria)
Permanent Committee 1 Chair: Philippe Boille (France)
Permanent Committee 1 Vice-chair: Olgierd Dziekonski (Poland)
Permanent Committee 2 Chair: John Wright (United Kingdom)
Permanent Committee 2 Vice-chair: Paula Huotelin (Finland)
New Board members take up their posts on 1st January 2004.
Presentation of two important reports that
have been submitted to the EU Commission and in which the
ACE played a central role were made. These were the reports
on Sustainable Construction Methods and Techniques (submitted
to DG Environment as part of the work towards the Urban
Thematic Strategy) and the Life Cycle Costs in Construction
(submitted to DG Enterprise). The proceedings also underlined
the increasing importance of Internal market and Competition
issues for the profession by the adoption of a proposal
that dedicated Taskforces for these matters should be established.
Among the papers adopted at the Assembly ware crucial papers
on Consumer Policy and Quality Assurance for Architectural
Practice.
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OTHER MATTERS
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IRISH PRESIDENCY
The Irish Government take over the Presidency
of the EU on 1st January next for 6 months. They have recently
announced their priorities for the period. They have set
up a website for their presidency that, at the time of writing,
is still under construction. You will find the address in
the Useful Links section at the end of this e-mail. Of interest
to the ACE is the aspiration to act a s a ”bridge”
with the United States and the intention to inject new impetus
into the Lisbon process. This last process is a major motivation
behind the Qualifications Directive and to the emerging
importance of Research. In the field of architecture the
Irish Presidency is planning to organise a meeting in Dublin,
in Spring 2004, of the European Forum on Architectural Policies,
with which the ACE is associated. It is anticipated that
the exact date and theme for the event will be set before
Christmas.
The Irish Presidency has also co-operated
with the 5 presidencies that will follow them (Netherlands,
Luxembourg, United Kingdom, Austria and Finland) to prepare
a “Multiannual Strategic Programme for the work of
the Council of the European Union. This is the first time
in the life of the U that such a programme has been prepared
and achieving the Lisbon Strategy is a central theme.
EUROPEAN YEAR OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
(EYPD)
2003 has been the EYPD and the Commission
and Council have carried out several initiatives during
the course of the year. Among these was the setting up of
an Expert Group to report on the topic of accessibility
to the built environment. The ACE was represented by Fionnuala
Rogerson, an Irish architect with extensive knowledge and
expertise in the domain. The group submitted its final report
to the Commission in October 2003 and it is expected that
its contents will have an impact on emerging policy in this
area.
At a debate on the outcome of the year,
the European Parliament of Disabled Persons, meeting on
10th and 11th November, adopted a manifesto calling for
new horizontal legislation to protect disabled persons from
discrimination in every sphere (a position supported by
the European parliament). They also adopted a resolution
on necessary follow-up to the EYPD.
TOWARDS A EUROPEAN SERVICES FORUM
On 3 December the Commission adopted a
new Communication presented by Commissioner Erki Liikanen,
prepared by DG Enterprise, on “The Competitiveness
of Business-related Services and their Contribution to the
Performance of European Enterprises”. It is complementing
the 2002 Communication on “Industrial Policy in an
Enlarged Europe”. A consultation will be organised
through a European Forum on business-related services and
the discussion will lead to an Action Plan to be proposed
by the Commission in the first half of 2005. ACE has been
involved in the early stages, in the context of the European
Business Services Round Table (EBSRT), a private initiative
between several representative bodies.
PHOTOVOLTAICS
Commissioners Loyola de Palacio (Energy
and Transport) and Busquin (Research) have established the
“Photovoltaics Technology Research Advisory Council”,
which held its first meeting in Brussels on 4th December
2003. The aim of the advisory council will be to develop
a foresight report and a strategic research agenda to help
maximise the potential of solar electricity generation in
Europe. In its White Paper on Renewable Energies the Commission
has set a target of increasing the generation of electricity
from renewable sources from 6% to 12% by the year 2010.
Photovoltaics are seen as a potential major contributor
to this target.
SURSIS POUR LA TVA DANS LE BATIMENT
Les ministres des Finances des Quinze ont
demandé a Bruxelles de pouvoir prolonger pour deux
ans le régime des taux réduits de TVA à
5,5% dans le logement. La commission, par la voix de Frits
Bolkestein, Commissaire chargé du marché intérieur,
refuse de se plier à cette demande, mais elle a indiqué
qu’elle n’ouvrirait pas de procédure
d’infraction contre les pays pendant six mois. Concrètement,
cela veut dire que le TVA restera a 5,5% pour certains catégories
de bâtiments pour l’année 2004.
ACE PRESIDENT ADDRESSES HUNGARIAN
COLLEAGUES
At the invitation of the Hungarian Chamber
of Architects, the President of the ACE, Ms. Katarina Nilsson,
travelled to Budapest to address the Hungarian Chamber during
their conference on “Europe and Architects –
Now and in the Future”. The conference explored the
impact that accession to the EU will have on the profession
in Hungary and the speech by Ms. Nilsson gave a detailed
introduction to the ACE, its activities and the major elements
of EU Policy in the field of architecture. A transcript
of the speech can be requested from the ACE Secretariat.
COMMISSION CONSULTATION ON PUBLIC
PROCUREMENT
The Commission has launched an on-line
consultation on the problems confronted by those who challenge
decisions on the award of public contracts. The objective
of the consultation is to permit the Commission to take
stock of the application of the “review” Directives
with a view to proposing revisions to the in the course
of 2004. There are three separate consultations aimed respectively
at companies, professional organisations and lawyers. Follow
the link at the bottom of this e-mail to download the documents.
The consultation is open until 15th December 2003.
LE 40e ANNIVERSAIRE DE L’ORDRE
DES ARCHITECTS DE BELGIQUE
Le Conseil National de l’Ordre des
Architectes de Belgique (CNOA(B)) a organise durant le 2e
et 3e semestre 2003 une action de réflexion en profondeur
en vue de répondre à la question : Quel est
l’avenir de la profession d’architecte en Belgique
(au sein de l’Europe) ? Dans ce but, des activités
spécifiques ont été menées dans
les deux parties linguistiques du pays : au Nord, en Belgique
neerlandophone, 5 conférences et une enquête
auprès des architectes ; au Sud, pour les francophones,
4 Groupes de Travail représentant les 4 piliers de
la profession : l’Ordre, les Groupements professionnels,
l’Enseignement de l’Architecture et les milieux
culturels ou médias en relation avec l’architecture,
ainsi qu’une enquête auprès des architectes.
Les manifestations se sont clôturées
par une soirée de rencontres et d’animations
à laquelle etaient convies tous les architectes du
pays, en présence des Autorités et des représentants
de diverses professions du secteur de la construction. Pres
de 1200 participants y etaient présents et parmi
eux les représentants du CAE, MM. Alain Sagne et
Adrian Joyce.
Pour informations sur les résultats
fes enquêtes, consulter le CNOA(B) :
http://www.ordredesarchitectes.be
REACH
The Environment Commissioner, Margot Wallström,
took a blood test recently in order to display her support
for the REACH regulation on chemical products (see item
in ACE Info 2). The test was undertaken at the request of
the WWF (Worldwide Fund for Nature) who tested for 77 chemicals
known to be persistent in nature. Only three groups of chemicals
were included: PBDE’s (Poly Brominated Diphenyl Ethers
– man-made substances to be banned in the EU from
August 2004), PCB’s (Poly Chlorinated Biphenyl’s
– flame retardants banned in the EU) and OCP’s
(Organo-Chlorine Pesticides such as DDT, already banned
for several years). The results speak for themselves as
28 of these substances were found to be present in Ms. Wallström’s
blood. In fact tests were carried out on 156 persons and
all showed the presence of such chemicals in about the same
number as Ms. Wallström, thus underlining the importance
of the new regulation.
QUALITY OF CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE IN
EUROPEAN TOWNS AND CITIES was the topic of a 2-day seminar
held in Bologna at the initiative of the Italian Presidency,
Ministry of Culture and Heritage. Representatives from several
European countries participated, notably from those countries
involved in the European Forum on Architectural Policies.
The incoming President of the ACE, Leopoldo Freyrie, was
among the speakers and Alain Sagne, Secretary General of
the ACE also attended. A report is available, on request,
from the ACE Secretariat.
ESF MET WITH THE 133 COMMITTEE (SERVICES)
On 25 November representatives of the ESF
(European Services Forum – of which ACE is a member)
met, in Brussels, with the 133 Committee (WTO-GATS), which
brings together the Member States and the Commission, in
what has become a regular ‘rendezvous’ under
each EU Presidency. The ESF stressed its engagement for
the pursuit of the multilateral process (Doha Development
Agenda) following the Cancun failure. The representatives
from DG TRADE, who gave a post-Cancun briefing, reaffirmed
the Commission’s commitment to the process, while
stating that they were also observing any new development
in bi- and pluri-lateral agreements and that they were waiting
to see the outcome of the next meeting of the WTO Council
on Services in mid-December. The other main topic on the
agenda was the natural movement of persons (Mode 4) an important
work area in which the Commission has started some technical
work with the Member States.
COMMISSION APPOINTS CONSUMER LIAIS0ON
OFFICER
The Commission, through Competition Commissioner
Mario Monti, has appointed Juan Riviere y Marti to a newly
created post of Consumer Liaison Officer. The main tasks
of the new post include being the primary contact point
for consumer associations and individual consumers with
the Commission, acting in a two-way role of hearing opinions
and complaints and of alerting these associations of matters
of potential interest to them. He can be contacted directly
at COMP_CONSUMER_OFFICER@cec.eu.int
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EVENTS
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FOURTH EUROPEAN CONFERENCE ON CITIES
AND TOWNS
The first announcement of the conference,
scheduled to take place from 9th to 11th June 2004 can be
downloaded from the internet at www.aalborgplus10.dk It
will be held in Aalborg, Denmark and is being organised
by the European Sustainable Cities and Towns Campaign. The
conference will look back at 10 years of local action on
sustainability, evaluating progress, identifying obstacles
encountered and setting targets and strategies for the future.
GRAND PRIX DE L’URBANISME (FRANCE)
Gilles de Robien, ministre de l’Equipement,
des Transports, du Logement, du Tourisme et de la Mer, et
Jean-Jacques Aillagon, Ministre de la Culture, ont remis
le Grand Prix de l’urbanisme à Michel Corajoud
lors d’une cérémonie le 2 décembre
dernier à l’Institut du Monde Arabe à
Paris. Ce prix est décerné chaque année
avec l’objectif de faire partager et promouvoir, à
un niveau européen, les expériences positives,
respectant les aspects environnementaux, social ou économiques,
la dimension humaine de la ville. Pour de plus amples informations
sur ce prix, suivez le lien pour le ECTP en bas de ce courriel.
PASSIVE AND LOW ENERGY ARCHITECTURE
The 21st international conference on Passive
and Low Energy Architecture (PLEA) will be held in Eindhoven,
The Netherlands from the 19th to the 22nd November 2004.
It is being supported by the ACE and a dedicated website
has been set up for the event that contains information
on topics, programme, speakers etc. The ACE is represented
on the scientific committee involved in the organisation
of the conference by the President of the BNA, Kees van
der Hoeven. The website to consult is http://www.plea2004.nl
B4E CONFERENCE
The B4E – Building for a European
Future Conference, organised by ECCREDI and E-CORE will
be held on the 14th and 15th October 2004 in Maastricht.
A first announcement and call for abstracts has recently
been launched and can be accessed at the website given below
in the “Useful Links” section. The ACE, represented
by Jean-Marie Fauconnier, is involved in the organising
committee. The Conference will launch the E-CORE strategy
for research and innovation in the construction sector (Vesa
Peltonen, architect from Finland, is a member of the E-CORE
Management Committee), provide a forum for contributions
to the development of the 7th Framework Programme for European
Research and hopefully see the official launch of the European
Technology Platform on the Built Environment.
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PUBLICATIONS
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PRACTICE OF ARCHITECTURE IN EUROPE
This is a slim booklet containing the transcripts
of the conference chaired by Katarina Nilsson in Istanbul
on 13th June 2003. It contains the full transcripts of the
discussions in Turkish, with Katarina Nilsson’s speech
on CPD (Continuing Professional development) reproduced
in English. The ISBN number of the booklet is 975-395-650-0
UIA ISTANBUL 2005 INTERNATIONAL LOGO
DESIGN COMPETITION
The Chamber of Architects of Turkey has
published a book containing the winning design for the UIA
logo for the 2005 Congress due to be held in Istanbul. The
book contains two essays on the competition and its outcome
and illustrations of all the entries. The ISBN number of
the book is 975-395-617-7
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USEFUL LINKS
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WEBSITE OF THE IRISH PRESIDENCY http://www.eu2004.ie/
WHITE PAPER ON RENEWABLE ENERGY http://europa.eu.int/comm/energy/library/599fi_en.pdf
COMMISSION CONSULTATION ON PUBLIC PROCUREMENT
http://europa.eu.int/yourvoice/pubproc/index_en.htm
ECTP WEBSITE http://www.ceu-ectp.org/
B4E CONFERENCE INFORMATION http://www.b4e.org
EUROPEAN COMMISSION HOMEPAGE http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/index_en.htm
SEARCH PAGE FOR COMMISSION DOCUMENTS http://www.europa.eu.int/prelex/rech_simple.cfm?CL=en
ACE WEBSITE http://www.ace-cae.org
USEFUL TIP:
In the website addresses given in ACE Info
for the documents of the EU, you will frequently see the
following near the end of the address: “_en”.
These two letters define the language of the document (English
in the case of “en”) and you can usually change
these two letters in order to bring you to a different language
version as follows:
French _fr
German _de
Italian _it
Spanish _es
Danish _da
Greek _el
Dutch _nl
Portuguese _pt
Finnish _fi
Swedish _sv
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EDITORIAL BOARD
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The editorial board for the compilation of
ACE Info is:
The ACE President: Katarina Nilsson
The Secretary General of the ACE: Alain Sagne
Senior Advisor to the ACE: Adrian Joyce
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
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The editorial board wishes to acknowledge
the contributions submitted for this issue of ACE Info who
were Jean-Marie Fauconnier (CNOA(B)), the Secretariat of
ECCREDI and Ralf Lottes (BAK).
adrian.joyce@ace-cae.org
– Comments and contributions
