FIEC President, Piero Petrucco, met in Paris with the Presidents of our two French member federations FFB (Fédération Française du Bâtiment), Olivier Salleron, and FNTP (Fédération Nationale des Travaux Publics), Alain Grizaud.

In the framework of the EU-funded project SIDE-CIC, FIEC and the European Federation of Building and Wood Workers (EFBWW) published the “Mapping Report of Social ID Cards in the Construction Sector”, in cooperation with the European Association of Paritarian Institutions (AEIP) and its Italian member, Commissione Nazionale Paritetica per le Casse Edili (CNCE). This mapping report is the first deliverable of the social dialogue  “SIDE-CIC” project which started in 2023 (duration of 2 years).The mapping report identifies 18 social ID card schemes across 16 countries. Most schemes aim to promote worker identification, site access control, training verification and OSH compliance. This report sets a basis on which to develop the next phases of the project, examining the feasibility of a framework for interoperable systems.

The mapping report also identifies 14 operational schemes and 4 under development ones, among which one in the Netherlands, where discussions for the establishment of a possible social ID card in construction are still ongoing. In this context, Domenico Campogrande, FIEC Director General, participated in the event organised by Federatie Nederlandse Vakbeweging (FNV) to exchange on opportunities and challenges and share good practices.

The new team of European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, took office on 1 December. The lengthy process of the nomination of candidates for the role of EU Commissioners by all Member States, the controversial confirmation hearings in the European Parliament, and the subsequent political showdown, ended last week in Strasbourg.The Members of the European Parliament confirmed the full College of Commissioners with a majority of 370 votes in favour and 282 against. Commission President von der Leyen herself got 401 votes (with the necessary majority being at 360 votes) at her re-election by the European Parliament in July this year.

While we wait for an official Work Programme from the European Commission, our main priorities for the new mandate are as follows:

FIEC wishes the new Commission every success with their official duties in the coming years and have high hopes regarding the 2024 – 2029 political agenda.

Thanks to our wide-ranging representativeness of the European construction industry and the expertise of our affiliates, we are committed to contributing to the work of the future EU Commission and we keep on playing an active role in the relevant fora.

Our Romanian member ARACO (Asociaţia Română a Antreprenorilor în Construcţii) awarded 6 best construction practices during the XXVI edition of the “ARACO Quality Trophy” held on 22 November in Cluj-Napoca (Romania).The event was attended by representatives of ARACO and FPSC (our other Romanian member federation), together with the key bodies, agencies and organisations active in the sector, and including the university and research community, students and media outlets. On behalf of the Ministry of Development, Public Works and Administration, Secretary of State Monica Săsărman participated in the ceremony.

The activities, achievements and acknowledgments celebrated in last week’s Cluj-Napoca event had a common denominator: “meritocracy“, which is telling much on how our Romanian member federation has been trying to promote and recognise excellence and sustainability in the construction sector of the country.