NEWSLETTER Consiglio Architetti
Europa - n° 6-04
The monthly electronic note from the Architects’
Council of Europe
Welcome to the sixth issue in 2004 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. This issue is also available in French.
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CORE ISSUES
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QUALIFICATIONS DIRECTIVE
The proposal for a directive on the recognition of professional
qualifications, that will mean the repeal of the Architects
Directive, took a significant step towards adoption on May
18th when the Council of Ministers reached political agreement
on the text. Linked to the publication of the Amended Proposal
by the Commission in late April (see ACE Info 5-04) it is
now possible that the new directive could be adopted before
the end of 2004.
However with the new Parliament of 25 countries taking up
office over the summer period it is not possible to predict
how it will react to this proposal. There is some speculation
that the new Parliament might call for a new First Reading.
If this happens then the adoption of the directive could
be significantly delayed.
In a development that is significant of the architectural
profession, the ACE has met with the Commission Services
to discuss these latest developments and the Commission
has confirmed its intentions to ensure that an appropriate
mechanism is devised to ensure that new qualifications in
architecture can be challenged by the Member States. The
new mechanism will consist of the establishment of an Expert
Group that will advise the regulatory committee that will
manage the implementation of the directive. The Commission
has indicated that it is open to the idea of appointing
a representative of the profession and a representative
of the education sector to this Expert Group.
SERVICES IN THE INTERNAL MARKET
With the EU elections and the imminent new Commission, progress
on this issue at EU Institution level has not been extensive.
However at Member State level there has been serious debate
and concern over many of its provisions. In Belgium these
concerns led to such heated debate that the Commissioner
responsible, Mr. Bolkestein, wrote to the Belgium government
in early June to reassure it on the proposal. In Belgium
there has been serious concern over the posting of workers
provisions that has led to fears of a flood of temporary
workers from the new Member States who would not be subject
to the countries strict social and environment measures.
These concerns have also been expressed by the Construction
Sector. The Commissioner stated, in his letter to the Belgian
Government, that under the ³lex specialis² rule,
the 1996 Directive on the posting of workers will apply
and not the proposed framework directive.
There was a hearing on the Directive held by the European
Economic and Social Committee (EESC) on the 24th May 2004.
Alain Sagne attended on behalf of the ACE and has reported
that those present were generally supportive of the objectives
being pursued by the Commission with this proposal. However
significant concern was expressed by many people about the
country of origin principle and the posting of workers.
Some discussion also took place on the topic of better governance
and the potential use of the concepts of self regulation
and co-regulation in the implementation of the objectives
of the proposal. Copies of the report are available, on
request, from the ACE Secretariat.
EUROPEAN TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM (ETP) FOR THE BUILT
ENVIRONMENT
The European Council for Construction Research, Development
and Innovation (ECCREDI) has been working for some time
on a proposal that an European Technology Platform for the
Built Environment should be established. This work has involved
several meetings with the Services of the Commission
specifically with DG Research and one of the principle
aims of the proposal is to ensure that built environment
issues get a deserved high priority in the upcoming 7th
Framework Programme for Research. A positive step forward
occurred at the most recent of these meetings when the Commission
clarified that it supports the proposal, that there should
be one platform with several focus areas and that a launch
of the platform can be envisaged on the 14th October in
Maastricht at the B4E Conference which is part of
the E-CORE work (see item below). Six focus areas have been
identified including underground construction, manufactured
buildings, cities and infrastructure. The ACE is to take
a lead role in identifying the objectives for the theme
of cities in conjunction with Dutch participants ELGIP.
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OTHER MATTERS
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THE ACE PRESIDENT IS AWARDED THE AIA PRESIDENTIAL
MEDAL
At a ceremony that took place in Chicago on the occasion
of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) annual conference,
the ACE President, Leopoldo Freyrie was awarded the AIA
Presidential Medal.
At the conference the President-elect for 2005 was elected.
The successful candidate was Katherine Lee Schwennsen who
will therefore become the second female President of the
AIA in 2006.
SEMINAR ON URBAN REGENERATION POZNAN
This event was well attended by many architects and officials
from Polish cities. The seminar discussed the problems that
face Polish cities as they the question of how best to initiate,
manage and finance the regeneration of their cities. The
important role of architects in ensuring that any regeneration
results in a high quality urban environment was emphasised
and the importance of new methods of procurement, including
the use of incentives was debated. It is intended that the
proceedings of the Seminar will be published in book form
in due course and the idea of a follow-up seminar in May
2005 was mooted.
Two Taskforces of the ACE used the opportunity of the seminar
to hold a joint meeting. These were the Taskforce on Urban
Issues and the Taskforce on Public Private Partnerships.
The synergy that the Taskforces enjoyed from attendance
at the Seminar greatly assisted their work.
DUTCH PRESIDENCY OF THE EU JULY TO DECEMBER
2004
The next Presidency of the EU will be held by the Netherlands
for the period July to December 2004. The Dutch Minister
of Economic Affairs has set out the economic priorities
of the Presidency and they will include several matters
of interest to the profession. Among these are the preparations
for the mid-term review of the Lisbon Strategy, the ambition
to make good progress on the proposal for Services in the
Internal Market, to progress the REACH regulation, to evaluate
the Action Plan for Better Regulation, to discuss consumer
policy especially measures to tackle unfair commercial practices
and the removal of obstacles to activities that promote
sales.
The Presidency has expressed concern about its ability to
make progress due to the transitions underway with a new
Parliament and a new Commission due on the 1st November.
More information can be found by following the links at
http://www.government.nl
SUSTAINABILITY CONFERENCE LISBON
The Ordem dos Arquitectos of Portugal organised and ran
a seminar for its Members on the topic of the impact of
EU legislation on architectural practice with particular
emphasis on sustainability. It was very well attended and
served to illustrate the need that exists to inform practising
architects of the impact that EU policy can have on their
daily lives. Particular emphasis was placed on the Energy
Performance Directive, whose transposition to national law
must be complete before the end of 2005. Adrian Joyce represented
the ACE and gave an overview of the work of DG Environment
in relation to the development of the Thematic Strategy
on the Urban Environment.
The ACE Taskforce on the Environment and Sustainable Architecture
used the opportunity of the Seminar to hold a meeting benefiting
from the stimulating input given by the Portuguese architects
at the Seminar.
CEN ENVIRONMENTAL SEMINAR
The first in a series of CEN (European Committee for Standardisation)
environmental seminars took place on the 25th March 2004
and was dedicated to construction. The aim of the seminars
is to increase the visibility of European standardisation
and, more specifically, to promote European standardisation
activities in the field of the environment. The seminar
addressed issues such as barriers to sustainable construction
(Livia Tirone of the ACE made a presentation on this topic),
working towards sustainability, addressing the right people
and assessing life cycle costs.
EU RESOLUTION ON CULTURE
The European Parliament and the Council adopted, on the
21st April last, a resolution establishing a Community programme
to promote bodies active at European level in the field
of culture. This is a matter that could have a beneficial
effect for the ongoing activities of the European Forum
for Architectural Policies and it will be discussed at the
upcoming meeting of the Co-ordination Group of the Forum
scheduled for the 16th June next.
To see the text of the resolution can be downloaded at:
http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/pri/en/oj/dat/2004/l_138/l_13820040430en00400049.pdf
EUROPEAN FORUM ON BUSINESS-RELATED SERVICES
A Forum has been set up under the auspices of the DG Enterprise
and it has established several working groups. Working group
2 on evolving business models met on the 25th May 2004 and
several key messages were delivered by three core presentation
at the meeting. Among the key messages that emerged from
the discussions is the fact that substantial rationalisation
can be achieved by breaking down the process of services
delivery into smaller components that are then delivered
by specialised companies. Not surprisingly it also noted
that pricing is a key issue as it has traditionally been
bundled with the price of manufactured goods and that there
is a strong need for innovation and research into how services
are managed and delivered. The meeting concluded by setting
down the tentative elements of an action plan on the subject.
The full notes of the meeting can be acquired by request
to info@ace-cae.org
ARCHITECTS AND TECHNOLOGICAL RESEARCH IN CONSTRUCTION*
The ACE, represented by Vesa Peltonen, Jean-Marie Fauconnier
and Adrian Joyce, has participated in a series of meetings
of the ECCREDI and E-CORE on the 26th, 27th and 28th May
last.
ECCREDI, founded in 1995, is the European Council for Construction
Research, Development and Innovation and it brings together
the main actors of the construction sector to manage and
lobby for research activities in the sector. In October
2001, ECCREDI was charged by the European Commission to
establish a network that covers the full ensemble of research
interests in the field of construction called E-CORE
the European Construction Research Network. This network
brings together nearly 100 partners and it has been set
the task of establishing a database of the points of contact
for construction research in all 25 EU Member States.
The recent meeting aimed to assess progress on the 5 Work
packages over recent months. One of the central elements
debated was the preparation of a long-term strategy for
construction research at EU level with the object of ensuring
that construction research is featured in the 7th Framework
Programme of the EU, this opening dozens of opportunities
for funded research projects in the field. These opportunities,
that the ECCREDI aims to orientate towards the interests
of its members should also be of interest to architects.
The planned E-CORE Conference to be held in Maastricht on
the 14th and 15th October next will offer to architects
an invaluable opportunity to meet up with hundreds of potential
collaborators from the construction research field.
For this that cannot make it to Maastricht there are plans
afoot to organise a networking evening in Liege on the evening
of the 14th October. For more information consult the website
of the conference at www.b4e.org
and for the networking evening contact JM Fauconnier at
fauconnier.jeanmarie@skynet.be
EVALUATIONS OF INTERREG II AND URBAN*
The ex-post evaluation of the Interreg II and URBAN (1994
1999) initiatives are now available on the website
of Inforegio. The evaluations were carried out under three
themes (cross border co-operation, energy distribution networks
and trans-national co-operation) of the initiative and on
four pilot actions co-financed by the FEDER. 118 URBAN programmes
were also analysed. For full information see:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/regional_policy/sources/docgener/evaluation/rado_en.htm
EU LAUNCHES NEW PORTAL SITE
The EU Institutions, together with youth organisations,
have launched a multilingual European Youth Portal. It covers
issues ranging from travel and volunteering to employment
and social rights. If you would like to check it out, then
go to:
http://europa.eu.int/youth
COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS
At a first ³Structured Dialogue² between the European
Commission, the Committee of the Regions and the regional
and local authorities and associations, Romano Prodi hailed
the vital role of the Committee of the Regions as a bridge
between European citizens and the EU Institutions. He went
on to say that he was ³Šhere to ask for your help:
its as simple as that. To be more efficient, the Union¹s
institutions must be closer to the people and to local and
regional life. This would require greater attention to the
quality of our legislation, to respecting and developing
the principle of subsidiarity and democracy, both representative
and participative². This is encouraging for Organisations
such as the ACE and it highlights the importance of advancing
the emerging concepts of self and co-regulation under the
new governance approach of the EU.
PREVENTION AND RECYCLING OF WASTE
At an informal Council meeting in Waterford, Ireland, the
Environment Ministers of the EU25 outlined its strategy
for preventing and recycling waste based on life cycle of
natural resources and products. The approach is to set political
guidelines for the making of a formal contribution to the
thematic strategy on waste prevention and recycling ebing
prepared by the Commission for June 2005. For more information
see:
http://www.eu2004.ie/templates/meeting.asp?sNavlocator=5,418,13&list_id=19
PAT COX RECEIVES THE CHARLEMAGNE PRIZE
The out-going president of the European Parliament, Irishman
Pat Cox, has been awarded the Charlemagne Prize for his
outstanding contribution to securing the historic enlargement
of the EU, which took place on the 1st May. Other laureates
of the prize have been Pope John Paul II, Valery Giscard
d¹Estaing, Jean Monnet, Winston Churchill, Jacques
Delors, Tony Blair and Bill Clinton.
LIFELONG LEARNING AND ³EUROPASS²
The EU Education Ministers adopted, on the 28th May last,
a resolution on guidance in lifelong learning and they reached
agreement on ³Europass². It is expected that the
resolution will assist in the development of guidance policies
and practices at national levels and that these will, in
turn, assist in the achievement of the social and economic
goals set out in the Lisbon Strategy. The Ministers pointed
out that guidance has a key role to play in promoting access
to information, lifelong learning and employment as well
as enhancing social inclusion and promoting personal decision-making
and career management skills.
The same meeting also reached political agreement on ³Europass²
which consolidates a number of documents into a single portfolio
that will improve transparency and mutual recognition of
qualifications, leading to enhanced mobility within Europe.
Although this relates principally to vocational and craft
trades, the Parliament has mooted, in the context of the
Qualifications Directive, a similar measure for the professions.
To see the resolution go to: http://ue.eu.int/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pressData/en/educ/80643.pdf
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EVENTS
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CONFERENCE FOR INTEGRATING URBAN KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICE
This conference aims to stimulate innovative urban professionalism
and knowledge, to support creative and responsible leadership
in cities and to contribute to the evolution of co-operative
and cross-border approaches to urban development. It will
be held in Gothenburg, Sweden from May 30th to June 4th
2005. Full details available at:
www.urbanlife2005.com
CHOICES
The 4th International Alvar Aalto Design Seminar is to be
held in Jyvaskyla, Finland on the 27th and 28th August 2004.
The aim of the seminar is to study the works of acknowledged
designers in the light of the choices that face designers
in their daily work.
For full details see: www.alvaraalto.fi/conferences/designseminar/choices
CITYSCAPE UK
This is an event for Government planners, development agencies,
private financiers and senior executives of key organisations
involved in design, management and construction of Britains
towns and cities. It will be held in East London on the
13th October 2004. Full details available at:
www.cityscape-uk.com
EUROPEAN CONFERENCE OF MUNICIPAL ENERGY MANAGERS
The first conference of municipal energy managers will be
hosted by the city of Stuttgart on the 1st and 2nd of July
2004. The conference will see 27 experts from 11 EU countries
showcase their projects and impart their experience. Full
details at:
www.klimabuendnis.org
EU ENLARGEMENT: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR
ASSOCIATIONS
Alain Sagne of the ACE is making a presentation at this
seminar that is being organised by the European Society
of Association Executives (ESAE) on the 23rd June 2004.
The Conference will address the challenges faced by European
Associations by membership growth and development and will
examine how associations can promote their professional
standards, codes of conduct and other policies. For more
see:
www.esae.org/index.html?current=35&page=3&page2=35&lang=en
CONFERENCE ON WORLD EXPO 2010 SHANGHAI
The Euro-China Business Association, in collaboration with
the Belgian-Chinese Economic and Commercial Council, is
organising a conference on the business opportunities that
will be offered by the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai. The
event will take place in Hotel Le Plaza in Brussels on the
29th June 2004. Further information and a registration form
can be requested by e-mail from info@bcecc.be
and the closing date for registrations is 21st June 2004.
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PUBLICATIONS
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FIEC KEY FIGURES FOR 2003
The European Construction Industry Federation ahs published
its annual overview of the activity of the European construction
sector. It shows a small increase in activity over 2002
and can be downloaded from:
www.fiec.org
ECOLOGICAL AESTHETICS
A new book by a German author that concentrates on the question,
to what extent and in what way artists today can interfere
actively in mental, social and environmental ecological
questions and problems. The main focus of the book lies
in the design of cultural landscapes.
It can be ordered directly from the author at ffm.strelow@t-online.de
USEFUL LINKS
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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
WEBSITE OF THE IRISH PRESIDENCY
http://www.eu2004.ie/
COMMISSION CONSULTATION ON PUBLIC PROCUREMENT
http://europa.eu.int/yourvoice/pubproc/index_en.htm
SUSTAINABLE BUILDING WEBSITE
www.sustainablebuilding.info
B4E CONFERENCE INFORMATION
http://www.b4e.org
COAC INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS DATABASE:
http://www.coac.net/internacional/default_w.html
CNAPPC DATABASE – ARCHIEUROPE:
http://www.archieuro.archiworld.it
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 Danish _da
Italian _it Spanish _es Greek _el
Dutch _nl Portuguese _pt Finnish _fi Swedish _sv
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EDITOR’S NOTE
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The editorial board for the compilation of
ACE Info is:
The ACE President: Leopoldo Freyrie
The Secretary General of the ACE: Alain Sagne
Senior Advisor to the ACE: Adrian Joyce
ACE Info is normally 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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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
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The editorial board wishes to acknowledge
the sources of information for this issue of ACE Info which
include the Euractiv website (www.euractiv.com),
Bulletin Quotidien Europe, CCBE-Info No. 8, PCN Update March
2004, UNICE @ News March 2004 and Jean-Marie Fauconnier.
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adrian.joyce@ace-cae.org
– Comments and contributions welcome
