Roxana Mînzatu, Candidate EU Commissioner: focus on Skills

Roxana Mînzatu (Romania) has been nominated by European Commission’s President, Ursula von der Leyen, as candidate for the role of Executive Vice-President for People, Skills and Preparedness. Previously, she worked as Minister of European Funds.In her mission letter, it is indicated that she will guide the work on the European Pillar of Social Rights and will work to propose solutions to tackle labour and skills shortages. She will present a Quality Jobs Roadmap and a new Pact for the European Social Dialogue. She would be also responsible for occupational health and safety and labour mobility.

There is a strong focus on skills, as expressed in her mission letter. Indeed, she will develop and build up a Union of Skills. It includes working on the recognition of qualifications and developing a European Strategy for Vocational Education and Training.

 

   MISSION LETTER   

European Commission published third Annual Report on “Recovery Resilience Facility”

The implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) is accelerating and supporting continued progress in Member States’ reforms and investments, according to the European Commission’s third Annual Report on the RRF, adopted on 10 October.With €650 billion in grants and loans, the RRF is a key driver for ambitious investment and reform in Member States. Since its launch, the RRF has already leveraged more than €82 billion of investment directly supporting business.

Over €300 billion of RRF funds are expected to be disbursed by the end of 2024. The report provides numerous examples of how progress on reforms and investments across the six policy pillars of the RRF are having a tangible and positive impact on citizens and businesses alike.

The Commission is also continuously strengthening its audit and control framework to ensure that the EU’s financial interests are protected.

 

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Recovery Construction Forum 3.0 – “Rebuild Ukraine”: 13-14 November, Warsaw

The next edition of the Recovery Construction Forum 3.0 will take place on 13 November 2024 in Warsaw (Poland).It will be one of the events launched under the 4th ReBuild Ukraine conference, which will take place at the same venue on 13-14 November.

The Recovery Construction Forum 3.0 is co-organised by Premier Expo Ukraine and the Confederation of Builders of Ukraine (FIEC’s Ukrainian member association), and is supported by FIEC.

You can download the preliminary programme in PDF format and read more information on the FIEC website.

 

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Eurobridge, 11 April 2025 – Brussels: Registration is open

 

FIEC will once again be involved in Eurobridge – a conference on bridge maintenance and safety in Europe. Titled “HOW TO ENSURE TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE SAFETY”, the next edition will take place on 11 April 2025 in Brussels.

You can access the preliminary programme of the conference by clicking on the red tab below.

A word from Christian Tridon
Chairman of FIEC’s
Structural Maintenance working group

 

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games have just ended. These Games were a wonderful window of freedom and joy, while France was going through a complicated political period. The French people rallied around a single goal. The Olympic Games were a bridge between one world and another. This bridge needs to be well maintained so that the fervor of the gathering does not fade.

The 4th edition of EUROBRIDGE will be held on Friday 11 April in Brussels. In particular, we will be questioning the European Commission on its policy outlook for the new legislature.
Join us and learn about the different maintenance models of the European Member States”.

Following the collapse of the communist-era Carola Bridge in Dresden (last 11 September) and looking ahead at the importance of talks, debates and information sharing on the safety of bridges, Christian Tridon explains that “bridge collapses are a reminder that bridges are the links in our communication ‘routes‘”. He adds that “their structure is fragile and their maintenance is a must. It is part of the necessary investment that our States must continuously budget for in order to keep the infrastructure functional and safe“.

   PROGRAMME   

CIF Construction “Safety Campaign 2024” kicked-off
14-25 October

On 14 October, FIEC’s Irish member, CIF (Construction Industry Federation) launched the new edition of the Safety campaign that is running until 25 October 2024. The campaign will see thousands of construction workers and companies focusing on mitigating critical risks on construction sites, education on safety practices, and heart health.The initiative will see construction companies holding ‘toolbox talks’, Construction Products Regulation (CPR) training opportunities and many other events across the country to educate the staff about critical risks and highlight safety awareness. On-site risks include working at heights, operating heavy machinery and electrical work, alongside mental health and physical health.

 

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