European Council

of

Civil Engineers

HeadImage
3rd European Engineers Day "Concerns about Engineering Excellence"

5 October 2017, Haus der Ingenieure, Eschenbachgasse 9, 1040 Vienna

What is “engineering excellence”? Does the EU need it? Will it be available in the future?

What are encouragements and hindrances for its occurrence?

About 150 participants from all over Europe discussed this question very passionately at the 3rd European Engineers Day in Vienna on 5 October 2017:

 

Most of them fully agreed to what Commissioner Violeta Bulc stated in her video message: There is indeed a need for engineering excellence in Europe, as transport - her field of competence – clearly shows. It is a preliminary requirement for building transport infrastructure.

 

Speakers from various backgrounds approached the question of securing the availability of engineering excellence in the future from different angles:

 

Hubert Gambs, responsible Director for the modernization of the Single Market in the European Commission stressed the importance of the quality of engineering services. At the same time the aim of the Commission is to reduce regulation to the necessary minimum in order to enhance economic growth and – by an increase of mobility – also the availability of engineering services. 

Leo Chini, Professor at the University of Economics and Business in Vienna criticized this approach due to its undifferentiated treatment of different forms of services and regards deregulatory measures for regulated professions as a potential hazard to engineering excellence and – as studies in Austria have shown – not efficient in reaching the European Commission’s economic targets.

 

Jean-Louis Marchand, President of the European Construction Industry Federation (FIEC) as well as Maxime Cerutti, Director of Social Affairs at Business Europe, put a strong focus on the problem of the shortage of employees in engineering companies and on providing the right engineering skills to better meet companies’ needs. The high level engineering education as an important column of engineering excellence was also the focus of Ioannis Golias, Rector of the National Technical University of Athens. Also the panellists – Michaela Ragoßnig-Angst, an Austrian surveying engineer, Rudolf Kolbe, President of the European Council of liberal professions and member of the EESC, Bernard Remaud, President of ENAEE and Paul Coughlan from ICE agreed on the importance of education for engineering excellence. Their discussion focused on possible ways to attract young people and also migrants and refugees to such engineering educations.

 

Philippe de Buck, Former Director of Business Europe and EESC member approached the question on a broader basis. He questioned if the current policies of the EU are overall adequate to deal with challenges and chances of the changing world and raised the question of how opportunities for engineers could be better exploited.

 

In his final statement, ECCE Vice President / President Elect Aris Chatzidakis mentioned that engineers have been facing rapidly changing, complex and increasingly demanding problems in an environmentally sensitive world. Nowadays, when our world is at a very critical point with the climate change, the rapidly advancing technological innovations, the digitalization, etc., engineers will need to master new and broader skills and have a multi-disciplinary profile rather than the traditional profile engineers used to have. Engineers are required to have the ability to draw upon a broad and comprehensive body of knowledge to make focused discretionary judgments about optimal solutions to unique, complex problems in the interest of enhancing public health, safety, and welfare. Engineers are required to have a holistic approach to problem - solving and decision - making which will be achieved through both education and training on not only the traditional engineering fields but also in humanities, economics, social sciences, communication, management, etc. Lifelong learning and Continous Professional Development are necessary for engineers in the so rapidly changing world we live in. Also, leadership in the ethical practice of engineering and the need to hold paramount public health, safety, and welfare wherever engineering is practiced, independent of its origin and destination is very important. He highlighted the importance of the role that the Engineering Professional Associations play in achieving all the above mentioned skills and in regulating engineering practice for the sake of society, enforcing ethical and deontological codes of practice ensuring: honouring public interest; security and protection against unlicensed practice; efficient use of natural resources; environmental protection; vulnerability reduction to natural disasters and climate change. He concluded that a global scenario, in which the engineering profession contributes decisively to improve the quality of life of mankind, is necessary in order to establish sound partnerships between those who share common interests, for the benefit of our professional Engineers and society as a whole. 

 

Background:

The “3rd European Engineers’ Day” was an event co-organized by a number of European Engineering Organizations on a regular basis: The European Council of Engineering Chambers (ECEC), the European Federation of National Engineering Associations (FEANI) and the European Council of Civil Engineers (ECCE) together with the European Network for Accreditation of Engineering Education (ENAEE). These organizations represent a wide variety of European Engineering branches and a high number of European Engineers.

 

Contact for further information: ECCE Secretariat                                                                                        NTUA – Patission Street Complex | (28th October) & Stournari Street | 10682 | Athens | GREECE | Tel.: +30 210 9238170 | mob: +30 6973379151 | email: ecce_sps@otenet.gr

 


 

Brochure of the event:

Download Brochure - 3rd European Engineers Day 2017

 


 

Speeches and Presentations:

 

 

Leo W. Chini - Enhancing Engineering Excellence by (De)regulating the Professions?

 


 

Photographs of the event:

You can view / download the photos of the event by clicking the link below:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/144875381@N07/albums/72157687108469090

Please note that when using/publishing the photos, please add a clear copyright notice: © Jana Madzigon

 

 

12.10.2017 :: PDF Print Page