Obituary
Helmut Echterhoff
(13/8/1939 – 3/2/2020)

 

It is with great sadness that FIEC has to inform you of the death of Mr. Helmut Echterhoff.

Dipl. Ing. Helmut Echterhoff had a long professional career as a contractor (Echterhoff Bau-Gruppe  https://www.echterhoff.de/geschichte.html) and was very active for a long time, in various federations both at national and European level.  Amongst other roles he was a Member of the Board of our German federation Hauptverband der Deutschen Bauindustrie HDB for 10 years and FIEC Vice-President from 2006 until 2008, chairing the Economic and Legal Commission.

We are grateful to him for his personal commitment at the European level and our thoughts are with his family

CEN Work Programme 2020

The European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) has published its work programme for 2020.  For construction, there are currently 43 active standardisation requests, which include amendments and revisions.  European standards for construction products establish the safety requirements in terms of impact on people and the environment, rather than regulating the products themselves.  More information, including a full list of the CEN Technical Committees responsible for work in this sector can be found in the programme, for which the link is provided below.
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‘The Safety of Bridges in Europe’ – European Symposium in Strasbourg

 

Under the aegis of FIEC, this conference will be organised in the hemicycle of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg on 10 and 11 June 2020.
It is an opportunity to gather the relevant stakeholders in order to raise awareness on this crucial issue and to exchange on the techniques allowing for efficient maintenance and thus making bridges long-living and secure.
More information and the registration procedure are available by clicking on the button below.

 

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EU Green Deal, social justice and innovation

On 6th February, the Jacques Delors Institute organised a high level conference entitled “Energising the Green Deal: leading ambitious climate action with social justice and innovation”.
On this occasion, Commissioner Schmit, in charge of Jobs and Social Rights, stated that the upskilling and reskilling of the workforce is amongst the priorities of the European Commission. This is also particularly true when it comes to construction workers.
Amongst the panellists, Adrian Joyce, from EuroACE (European Allicance of companies for energy efficiency in buildings), insisted that the Green Deal will not reach its decarbonisation objectives without the construction industry on board. He therefore called for a high level of cooperation between all relevant stakeholders.

 

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Joint FIEC-EIC Board meeting

On 4 February, the Boards of FIEC and EIC (European International Contractors) held a joint meeting in Vienna in order to discuss the future relationship between the two federations. At the centre of discussion was the revision of the FIEC-EIC Partnership Agreement which was first signed in 1984 and amended in 2002. The revised agreement will serve as a basis for future cooperation defining the duties each federation has and the topics on which both can work together. Currently, FIEC and EIC are collaborating on various issues such as the International Procurement Instrument (IPI), public procurement rules in Poland, etc.(picture: copyright EIC)