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ACE Info 1.05

English language version
The monthly electronic note from the Architects’ Council of Europe
Wednesday 26th January 2005

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the first issue in 2005 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.

ACE POLICY ISSUES

NEW PRESIDENT TAKES UP OFFICE

Marie-Helene Lucas of the OAI in Luxembourg has taken up office as the President of the ACE for 2005. She is a practising architect, based in Luxembourg, and has been a Member of the Executive Board since January 2004. In a letter addressed to the Presidents of the Member Organisations and the delegates of the ACE, she has set two issues as her priorities for the year. The first of these is the efficient and effective management of the transition of the ACE from its present Statutes to those that will enter into force on the 1^st January 2006. This will involve the reform of working structures and procedures so as to better harness the voluntary resources that are so generously put at the disposal of the ACE by its Members. The second priority will be to uphold our conviction of the importance of the central role of architecture as a contributor to the activities and development of our society and its environment. In this respect the work that is being carried out in relation to the proposal for a directive on Services in the Internal Market will command particular attention.

EUROPEAN FORUM FOR ARCHITECTURAL POLICY

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, who has just adopted an architectural policy, has included a plenary event of the Forum as part of the official programme of activities of the Luxembourg Presidency of the European Union. It is scheduled to take place in Luxembourg on 28-28 June, at the same time when an informal session of the EU Council of Ministers of Culture will be taking place, also in Luxembourg. It is intended that the Ministers will review on that occasion the follow up that was given to the Council Resolution on Architectural Quality in the Urban and Rural Environments of February 2001, and will also have an encountering with the Forum. It is recalled that the Forum is an informal, inter-governmental initiative that also involves the professional and cultural organisations. The ACE is an active participant in the Steering Committee of the Forum.

SECOND READING FOR THE QUALIFICATIONS DIRECTIVE

At a meeting of the Internal Market and Consumer Affairs (IMCO) Committee of the European Parliament the rapporteur, Mr. Zappala, set out the expected timetable for the next steps in the co-decision procedure on this directive. He intends to prepare a daft report for the 7^th February and to present it to the Committee at its meeting of the 22^nd February with a view to the Second Reading taking place on the 22^nd May 2005. The deadline for amendments has been set on 2^nd of March, bearing in mind that there are strict rules for such amendments under the second reading, whereby basically no new amendments can be tabled that had not already been tabled during the first reading. The discussion also highlighted that there is a growing consensus around the text of the Common Position of the Council. This means that there is a strong likelihood that the proposal will be adopted at Second Reading.

There has also been a change of shadow rapporteur on this proposal. Barbara Weiler (PSE) has taken over from Evelyne Gebhardt (PSE) as the latter is the main rapporteur on the SIM Directive.

It is worthwhile stressing that the linkage between the Qualifications Directive and the SIM (Services in the Internal Market) Directive has been re-emphasised, notably in relation to the discussion on the country of origin principle and derogations to it.

Finally the Luxembourg Presidency of the European Union has announced that reaching agreement on this proposed directive, so that it can be adopted in July 2005, is to be one of its main priorities.

DIRECTIVE ON SERVICES IN THE INTERNAL MARKET

The new Commissioner for the Internal Market and Services has addressed the European Parliament and he has expressed his support for the contents of the proposed directive on Services in the Internal Market, saying that he believes that the thrust of the proposal goes in the right direction. He underlined his desire that the adoption of the directive should be achieved in a spirit of genuine co-operation and that the negotiations would not fail to “see the wood for the trees”.

In other developments the debate around the proposed directive is gathering pace. The Council has produced a consolidated version of the proposal that already incorporates useful clarifications. The main rapporteur in the Parliament, Mrs. Gebhardt has delivered her working document to the IMCO Committee. She intends to prepare her report for the Committee to consider at its March meeting with a view to holding the First Reading before the summer recess.

The country of origin principle (COP) is the core issue under debate, as well as the scope of the Directive whose usefulness has not been questioned.

Among many others, the Assembly of the European Regions has expressed its concern about the impact of liberalising the services market in terms of social and territorial cohesion within the EU. It is calling for an impact study to be made in areas like health and education. There are several requests to exclude sectors such as, Services of General Interest, Health Services, Notaries, and Construction.

THE EUROPEAN CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM (ECTP)

Work to firmly establish the ECTP has been significantly advanced with the establishment of the Secretariat and the holding of many meetings of the various “Focus Areas” and their respective working groups. The Secretariat has set up a website for the initiative on which relevant and up to date information can be found.

For its part, the ACE is leading the work on “Urban Issues” under the Chairmanship of Adrian Joyce. This topic is seen as particularly important by the Commission as it has the potential to be the follow-up to the Fifth Framework Programme work on the City of Tomorrow. In relation to other work groups the ACE has issued a call for nominees from its Member Organisations and it has secured representation in several other themes.

It is clear that the ECTP is an initiative that is breaking new ground in the sector as there is unprecedented co-operation among a wide variety of actors all working towards the same aim – an improved industry and an improved environment for all. For more see:
http://www.ectp.org

INTER-GROUP ON URBAN ISSUES AND HOUSING

A formal Inter-Group on Urban Issues and Housing has been established in the European Parliament. The ACE has been closely following the development of this Inter-Group as it will offer the opportunity for close dialogue and co-operation with MEP’s on matters of central interest to our profession. Whilst the formal constitutive meeting scheduled on 27 January had to be postponed because of Mr Yushenko’s address to the Parliament, it is intended that the President of the Inter-Group will be Mr. Beaupuy of the Liberal Group, (ALDE) with two Vice-Presidents Mr. Olbrycht of the Conservative Group (PPE-ED) and either Arlene McCarthy or Alain Hutchinson of the Socialist Group (PSE). Among the issues that the ACE expects the Inter-Group to debate are the Thematic Strategy on the Urban Environment, the integration of architectural policies into Urban and Territorial Policies and the regeneration of urban areas through the use of structural funds. More generally, the ACE is willing to further promote a holistic and integrated approach to the quality of the living environment, in line with its recently published Policy Book “Architecture & Quality of Life”.

PUBLIC PROCUREMENT DIRECTIVES

The EU Commission has recently adopted an Action Plan on e-Procurement, which aims to improve electronic public procurement and to move towards an international framework for e-procurement. It can be downloaded from the following address:
http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/internal_market/publicprocurement/docs/eprocurement/actionplan/actionplan_en.pdf

Following the adoption of the new directives on Public Procurement, the thresholds that must be applied for the call for tenders has been published in the Official Journal (29 October 2004). These have been reduced in order to come into line with the Government Procurement Agreement on public procurement concluded in 1994 in the context of the Marrakesh negotiations. They can be viewed at the following address:
http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/lex/LexUriServ/site/en/oj/2004/l_326/l_32620041029en00170018.pdf

Finally, the ACE Recommendations and Guidelines for the Transposition of the directives into National Laws has now been finalised and its dissemination to national authorities is underway. The document, which is available in English and French, can be downloaded from the ACE website at the following address:
http://www.ace-cae.org/Public/fsPublicNetwork_EN.html

NEWS FROM THE ACE NETWORK

ARCHITECTURE AND QUALITY OF LIFE – SEMINARS

Towards the end of 2004, there were two seminars organised on the theme of “Architecture and Quality of Life” – the title of the ACE Policy Book published earlier in the year. On both occasions the ACE was represented by speakers presenting both the ACE itself and information on the key issues that are being addressed by the Organisation at this time.

The first of these seminars was organised by the Architect’s Association of Thessaloniki in Greece and it took place on the weekend of the 6^th and 7^th November. It was well attended and was timed to coincide with the thirtieth anniversary of the founding of the Association.

The second was held in Budapest, Hungary 0n the 10^th December and was organised by the Hungarian Chamber of Architects to celebrate the publication of the ACE book in Hungarian. In both cases local architects were informed about the work of the ACE and of the relevance of striving for the adoption of architectural policies as a tool for the achievement of a higher quality of life for all citizens.

LIABILITY AND INSURANCE OF ARCHITECTS

The Conseil National de l’Ordre des Architectes de Belgique (CNOA(B)) has recently published the results of a study that it commissioned on the liability and insurance of architects across Europe (EU 15). The study was carried out by an independent body and it gives a good overview of the current state of affairs in relation to this important topic. The ACE Special Working Group on the proposed SIM (Services in the Internal Market) Directive will be taking account of the content of the report in its work over the coming months. The report can be accessed on the website of the CNOA(B) at the following address:
http://www.ordredesarchitectes.be/fr/index.htm

HONORARY MEMBERSHIP OF THE CROATIAN CHAMBER OF ARCHITECTS

On the 11^th December 2004, Luciano Lazzari, President of the Order of Architects of Trieste and a member of the Italian CNAPPC delegation to the ACE, was conferred with honorary membership of the architects’ section of the Croatian Chamber of Architects and Engineers. The ceremony took place during the meeting of the Assembly of the Croatian Chamber at the National Library in Zagreb and the citation referred to in particular to the efforts of Luciano “…in promoting constructive relations between the Croatian and Italian National Chambers.”

OTHER MATTERS

RE-ORGANISATION OF THE DG INTERNAL MARKET

Following the start of the mandate of the Barroso Commission there has been some significant re-organisation of the Directorate General Internal Market. First of all its name has been changed to the Directorate General Internal Market and Services and a new Directorate on “Services” has been established. The Director of the Services Directorate is Guido Berardis and the Heads of the four Units are Margot Froehlinger (services I, Jean Bergevin (services II), Ole Guldeberg (services III) and Joerg Reinbothe (postal services). This Directorate General is dealing with two of the proposed directives that are of central importance to the ACE – the Qualifications Directive and the Directive on Services in the Internal Market. Unit I has overall responsibility for the proposed Directive on Services in the Internal Market. The full organisational chart can be downloaded from:
http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/internal_market/docs/organigramme/organi_en.pdf

SECTOR REVIEW – SWEDEN

The Swedish Association of Architects and Consulting Engineers (STD) has published the 2004 issue of the detailed annual sector survey and market review of the Swedish Consulting Engineering and Architectural groups as well as an international outlook. It can be downloaded from the following address:
http://www.std.se/english/sector_review.htm

EUROPEAN COMPANY STATUTE IN FORCE

The European Company Statute became available for use on the 8^th October 2004, thirty years after it was first proposed by the Commission. However, as only 6 (Belgium, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Iceland) of the 28 EU and EEA Member States has implemented the regulation at national level its use will be delayed. Under the Statute a European Company (or Societas Europeae – SE) can be set up by the creation of a holding company or a joint subsidiary or by the merger of companies located in at least two Member States or by the conversion of an existing company set up under national law. An SE can operate throughout the EU with one set of rules and a unified management and reporting system. It obeys the rules of the country where it is headquartered, meaning that it does not need to establish branches in each country where it wishes to do business. Further information can be found at:
http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/archive/2001/l_29420011110en.html

REVISED EUROPEAN URBAN CHARTER

The Council of Europe has announced that the revision of the European Urban Charter is now complete. The document and further information can be accessed at:
http://www.coe.int/T/E/Clrae/_5._Texts/5._Conventions_and_charters/urban.asp

EUROCER-BUILDING

This newly formed organisation (established in January 2004) is an association of relevant, competent, independent and highly experienced third party product certification bodies, testing laboratories and inspection bodies in construction. Its aim is to provide a point of reference for the Members dealing with the needs of the building and construction industry, including all certification, testing and inspection of design services, products, buildings and construction. The ACE has been approached to become part of the Advisory Board but no decision has been taken as yet. Further information can be found at:
www.eurocer-building.com

EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE 2005

The city of Cork in Ireland is to be the European City of Culture 2005. A wide variety of events have been planned for the year as the designation will, in the words of Commissioner Jan Figel, “…bring a huge impact on its social and economic life, since it generates a great interest throughout the EU and beyond”. More information at:
http://www.cork2005.ie/home/default.asp

THE COMMISSION ADOPTS NEW APPROACH

The new Barroso Commission has set up five groups of Commissioners to prepare college decisions. The five groups are:

1. The Lisbon Strategy Group – Chaired by Jose Manuel Durao Barroso
2. The Competitiveness Council Group – Chaired by Gunter Verheugen
3. The External Relations Group – Chaired by Jose Manuel Durao Barroso
4. The Fundamental Rights, Anti-Discrimination and Equal Opportunities Group – Chaired by Jose Manuel Durao Barroso
5. The Communications and Programme Group – Chaired by Margot Wallstrom

These groups will each meet on a regular basis to ensure that the work of the Commission is properly and thoroughly prepared ahead of the taking of decisions.

EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE (EESC)

The work programme for the two-year mandate of the new President of the EESC has received wide approval from all sectors represented in the Committee. The main items to be tackled by the Committee will include the involvement of civil society in the Lisbon strategy, involvement of civil society in “Communicating Europe” with particular reference to the proposed Constitution and the establishment of a “Civil Society Prize”.

The presidency of Group III of the EESC has been taken up by Staffan Nilsson (SE). This follows the move of Mrs. Sigmund to the Presidency of the EESC. Moreover, the EESC has established a group that is charged with contacts with Civil Society and it is expected that closer links with the liberal professions will be established over the next few months.

FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME FOR COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATION

DG Enterprise of the Commission has launched a consultation on its proposed framework programme for competitiveness and innovation. This could offer the construction sector an opportunity to get to grips with some of the issues that it is facing in the coming decade or so. It can be accessed at:
http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/enterprise_policy/cip/consultation.htm

THE EUROPEAN ECO-LABEL

The European Eco-Label, the official European mark for greener products, is experiencing a growing success: the sales of eco-labelled products increased by over 150% in 2004 to almost 500 million Euro of ex-factory sales. The criteria for the award of the label aim at reducing the environmental impacts of the products and protecting the health of users, while guaranteeing a high level of performance. For further information see:
http://europa.eu.int/ecolabel

PUBLICATIONS

URBAN REGENERATION

The proceedings of the first Urban Regeneration Conference that was held in Poznan, Poland on the 20^th May 2004 has now been published. The conference was very successful at raising awareness and knowledge of this important topic and several speakers were representing the ACE at the event. Copies can be purchased from the publisher by going to their website at:
www.area.net.pl

THE ESPON NETWORK – MAPS OF NEW EUROPE

The European Spatial Observatory Network (ESPON) has published a selection of new European maps entitled “Diversity within the European Territory”. The maps give information on a variety of issues including demographics, urban-rural typology and world economic potentials. To download the publication go to:
http://www.espon.lu/online/documentation/programme/publications

EUROPEAN BUSINESS – FACTS AND FIGURES

The European Commission has published a book entitled “European Business – Facts and Figures” that provides a standard set of information for industrial and services activities in the European Union. The cost of the book is EUR50 and an order form can be requested from:
[email protected]

EVENTS

UIA WORLD CONGRESS – ISTANBUL

Time is short and the UIA World Congress of architects is just six months away. Subscriptions are still at a discount rate, but only for a short time. You are invited to look at the programme and events that are planned for this Bazaar of Architectures at:
www.uia2005istanbul.org

10^TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE – ENERGIE CITES

On the 7^th and 8^th of April 2005, Energie Cites will be holding its 10^th Annual Conference on the theme of “Assessing Local Energy Policies?”. It will be held in Clermont-Ferrand in France. Further details can be found at the following website:
www.energie-cites.org

WORLD ENERGY SUSTAINABLE DAYS 2005

This years World Energy Sustainable Days will be held in Wels, Austria from the 1^st to the 5^th March. There will be a combination of events over the five days including the European Pellets Conference, the Innovative Public and Commercial Buildings Conference and the Energy Sustainable Days Conference. There is also a major trade show dedicated to renewable energy sources and energy efficiency at the time and place. For full details go to:
www.esv.or.at

PALENC 2005

The International conference entitled “Passive Low Energy Cooling for the Built Environment” will be held on Santorini Island, Greece from the 19^th to the 21^st May 2005. Full details and online registration forms are available at:
http://palenc2005.conferences.gr

EUROFINS SYMPOSIUM – DENMARK 8^TH FEBRUARY 2005

New German requirements on the emission of volatile organic chemicals from construction products were published in the summer of 2004. This symposium will describe the new requirements and highlight how they may become the benchmark for similar requirements across the EU. Full details and registration available at:
http://www.eurofins.com/emissions2005

REVALUING CONSTRUCTION 2005 – ROTTERDAM 22^ND AND 23^RD MARCH

This is the only event in 2005 that will bring together speakers from governments, clients and construction firms from around the world to present what they are doing to create greater value from construction activities and a higher performing industry. Full details at:
www.rc2005.nl

EUROPEAN URBAN AND REGIONAL PLANNING AWARDS EXHIBITION

The winning entries from the 2004 awards are currently being exhibited at the Slovak Architects Society Gallery in Bratislava. The exhibition will run to the end of January 2005. Further information on the awards is available on the website of the European Council of Town Planners at:
www.ceu-ectp.org

COMPETITIONS

THE HOLCIM AWARDS

This is a global initiative of the Holchim Foundation for Sustainable Construction based in Switzerland. Total prize money is USD2 million and the deadline for submissions is the 31^st March 2005. There will be awards in five regions in 2005 and a global award in 2006. Entries can only be made online, where full details are given:
www.holcimawards.org

USEFUL LINKS

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

THE BARROSO COMMISSION:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/commission_barroso/index_en.htm

WEBSITE OF THE LUXEMBOURG PRESIDENCY
http://www.eu2005.lu/en (Then choose your preferred language)

SUSTAINABLE BUILDING WEBSITE
www.sustainablebuilding.info

COAC INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS DATABASE:
http://www.coac.net/internacional/default_w.html

CNAPPC DATABASE – ARCHIEUROPE:
http://www.archieuro.archiworld.it

WEBSITE OF THE EUROPEAN CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM:
http://www.ectp.org

EU IMPACT ASSESSMENT IN PRACTICE
Consult a list of impact assessments that the EU has carried out on various legislative packages at:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/secretariat_general/impact/index_en.htm

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:

EDITOR’S NOTE

The editorial board for the compilation of ACE Info is:

The ACE President: Marie-Helene Lucas

The Secretary General of the ACE: Alain Sagne

Senior Advisor to the ACE: Adrian Joyce

ACE Info is normally issued around 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 wish to receive ACE Info regularly and you are not on the mailing list, you can register online at:
http://www.ace-cae.org/Public/fsPublicNetwork_EN.html

If you have information that you wish to have included in the next issue then e-mail it (in English or French please) to [email protected] Deadline for submissions is the first Friday of each month.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The editorial board wishes to acknowledge the sources of information for this issue of ACE Info which include FEANI, the Euractiv website (www.euractiv.com) and Bulletin Quotidien Europe.

[email protected] – Comments and contributions welcome

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