Our current task forces are: Education, Professional Recognition, Environment, Research and Development and Information  and Communications Technology.  A Working Group has now been launched on Civil Engineering Heritage.

Education: The Task Force meeting in Moscow included a presentation on the civil engineering education system in Russia, made by Professor Telitchenko, Rector of the Moscow State University of Civil Engineering. 

In his report on the EUCEET project, Task Force Chairman Professor Manoliu advised that 14 ECCE members are partners in EUCEET, plus ECCE itself.  A EUCEET General Assembly had been held in Malta two weeks previously, attended by representatives of ECCE members from Finland, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Germany, France, Slovakia, Romania, including three members of ECCE’s Executive Committee.  ECCE’s Education Task Force is involved in the EUCEET Specific Project 9 “Enhancing the attractiveness of the civil engineering profession” chaired by former ECCE President F.-G. Baron and seconded by Colin Kerr from Imperial College.  Six new Specific Projects were launched at the Malta meeting, three of them are of particular interest for ECCE members: SP.12 “Lifelong learning in civil engineering”, SP.3 “Environmental and sustainable development matters in civil engineering education” and SP.11 “Academic and professional recognition and mobility of European civil engineers”.

Professional Recognition: Task Force Chairman Professor Carsten Ahrens provided an update to members of the situation regarding the draft Professional Recognition Directive which has been under recent discussion in the European Parliament.  Work was now in hand on wording of a common platform, an initiative allowed under the Directive to promote mobility within individual professions. 

The proposed Directive contains a special section for medical doctors and architects.  For other professions a Platform can be presented by an organisation that represents a particular profession.  Such a platform can only be included if ECCE makes up a Register.  ECCE could therefore create a platform for civil engineers.  All EU Member States that regulate their profession would have to sign this.   This action may occur once the “Civil Engineering Profession in Europe” publication is complete.  A Paper will be discussed at the next ECCE meeting in Zagreb.

Research and Development:    Georges Pilot has taken responsibility for the Task Force since its former Chairman, Olavi Tupamaeki stepped down from the role.  The Task Force discussed new call for proposals to be launched shortly.  ECCREDI will follow high-level group action in the future.  Georges Pilot advised members to refer to the E-Core site for further details (www.e-core.org).  A priority for the Task Force should be to continuously prepare clear and short information for ECCE members.  Members should prepare papers in the name of ECCE.

Environment: Task-Force Chairman Santiago Hernandez has been moving forward with work on an ethical commitment to sustainable engineering.  A more detailed document, the “Monfrague Declaration”, has been worked on by a committee of the Colegio de Ingenieros in Spain.  Presentations were made to Task Force members of civil engineering projects of high environmental worth.   The proposed guidelines for the type of work are: these should be emblematic from an engineering point of view, also because they have a high budget, are a challenge to build and are innovative in design.   They should affect the environment in a positive way and are therefore able to be used to enhance the image of the profession.  The Task Force also plans to create a database on emblematic civil engineering works – information required includes date and time of construction and some technical specifications which should be set out on 2 or 3 pages highlighting the environmental approach.  One such project is the Moses project in Venice, Italy.  Presentations given to Task Force members were on the Vasca da Gama Bridge in Portugal and on the Chillida project, Tindaya mountain, Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands.  

A further presentation was given by Richard Coackley on ‘CEEQUAL’.  This is an award devised by the Institution of Civil Engineers in the United Kingdom to recognise achievement of high environmental performance.  Richard Coackley agreed to prepare a presentation for the General Assembly at the Zagreb meeting.

Civil Engineering Heritage: An inaugural meeting of this group was held with an enthusiastic and well informed group.  Clear ideas on ‘output’ for this group were exchanged.  Chairman Nick Zygouris of ACEG proposed that a questionnaire be distributed to all member organisations to ensure that any member organisations not included in the  meeting could be included ‘virtually’ and thus contribute their opinion.

Information Technology: Owing to the absence of Task Force Chairman Stephen Vincent, discussion on this subject was postponed to autumn 2004.  It is hoped that a ‘mini-seminar’ on ICT will be held during the Zagreb meeting.