FIEC FLASH MARCH 2008 Published 2/4/2008

FIEC FLASH – MARCH 2008 Published 2/4/2008

European Construction Industry Federation

FIEC FLASH

N°57, MARCH 2008 - PUBLISHED 10 TIMES A YEAR

SUMMARY

EDITORIAL 2

I. STEERING COMMITTEE, COUNCIL AND GENERAL ASSEMBLY 3 1. STEERING COMMITTEE 3 2. COUNCIL 3 3. CONGRESS/ GENERAL ASSEMBLY 3 4. MEETINGS WITH COMMISSIONERS 3

II. CURRENT ISSUES 3 A. ECO 3 1. EUROPEAN COUNCIL: PRIME MINISTER GORDON BROWN AND PRESIDENT NICOLAS SARKOZY PUSH FOR A “GREEN” TAX. 3 2. “TENS-NEIGHBOURS”: COMMUNITY TRANSPORT TREATY WITH THE WESTERN BALKANS. 4 3. FIEC CONFERENCE ON TENS PRIORITY PROJECT N°30 “CANAL SEINE-SCHELDE” 4 B. SOC 4 1. DANIEL TARDY, FIEC PRESIDENT, ADDRESSES THE TRIPARTITE SOCIAL SUMMIT ON 13/3/2008 4 2. FIEC AND EFBWW SIGN A JOINT DECLARATION ON PARITARIAN SOCIAL FUNDS IN WARSAW 5 3. OSHA (EUROPEAN AGENCY FOR SAFETY AND HEALTH AT WORK) 2008-2010 CAMPAIGN ON “RISK ASSESSMENT” 6 C. TEC 6 1. FIEC HOSTS ECCREDI COUNCIL MEETING 6 2. CEN CA PART II DISCUSSES SME ACCESS TO STANDARDISATION. 7 3. TEC-1 DEBATES FORTHCOMING REVISION OF CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTS DIRECTIVE. 7 D. SME 8 E. MEDA 8 1. MEDA NEWSLETTER 8 F. SPEECHES/ PRESENTATIONS ON BEHALF OF FIEC 8 G. MEMBERS CORNER 9 1. CURRENT DEADLINES FOR RESPONSE 9 2. INTERNAL FORTHCOMING MEETINGS 10 3. EIC / CICA / MEMBER FEDERATIONS 11 4. EXTERNAL MEETINGS 11 WWW.BUILDGREENCEE.COM 11 FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE UNDER WWW.RENEXPO-BUDAPEST.COM 11

FIEC FLASH – N°57, MARCH 2008 1 Published by: FIEC, European Construction Industry Federation Avenue Louise, 225– B-1050 Bruxelles/Brussel Tel: (+32 2) 514.55.35 – Fax: (+32 2) 511.02.76 – E-Mail: [email protected]– http://www.fiec.eu/ FIEC FLASH – MARCH 2008 Published 2/4/2008

Editorial

Dirk Cordeel, Vice-President FIEC working for SMEs

The construction industry is made up overwhelmingly of SMEs and family-owned businesses. According to FIEC’s last « Key Figures », the average number of workers per construction enterprise is no more than 6. This reality is reflected in the membership of our member federations and in the development of FIEC’s positions and activities. .

Nevertheless, last year FIEC undertook a thorough evaluation to ensure that major issues faced by construction SMEs are adequately dealt with within the federation. I am pleased to say that the general outcome of this scrutiny was that FIEC’s commissions, sub-commissions and workgroups are already dealing with most SME issues. Only a few topics were identified as deserving a closer, more "SME" focused look, namely financing conditions and access to PPP contracts. These issues have recently been discussed by a special SME workgroup which has come to the following conclusions:

Access to financing does not appear to be an issue of much concern for construction SMEs, although some improvements would be welcome. Above all, they experience liquidity problems due to late payments. Adequate legal provisions are necessary but their enforcement is just as important and public-sector clients should show the right example. EU funded works , for instance, should be monitored to ensure prompt payment. Good behaviour by the client incites good behaviour further down the chain, not forgetting that payment delays tend to accumulate along the way. It is, therefore, regrettable that banks no longer consider an amount receivable by a public debtor as a secure asset when making finance available to enterprises.

Public-private partnerships are generally associated with large-scale projects but experience shows that smaller ones are conceivable and have indeed become reality in several Member States. This opens the door to the participation of SMEs, provided that bidding costs as well as the financial commitment required remain at reasonable levels

Ultimately, the most effective way for SMEs and family-owned businesses to have their voice heard is by participating in FIEC's workgroups. Given that so many regulations affecting the daily life of our enterprises are decided at EU level, their attendance is definitely worthwhile.

The debate on these matters coincides with the European Commission’s consultation on a “Small Business Act” and with the results of the SME workgroup, FIEC is in an ideal position to give valuable input to this consultation.

The EC is now far from its original idea of reserving a proportion of public contracts to certain categories of bidders but is rather putting forward various initiatives aimed at improving EU SME policy; the keywords being better regulation, access to finance and public procurement, innovation and environmental challenges. There is indeed still much to be done in those fields and not solely for the benefit of SMEs. In my opinion, we should start by adequately implementing existing legislation. Applying the European public procurement principles of transparency, proportionality and non-discrimination is a good example of practice likely to provide a fair playing field to SMEs if properly implemented.

Finally, as stated during the launch of the Small Business Act consultation, SMEs are the rule rather than the exception and acting for the good of SMEs is in fact beneficial for every enterprise. So, whatever the size of our company, we may all hope that the Small Business Act consultation will yield useful results.

I. Steering Committee, Council and General Assembly

1. Steering Committee

Following the invitation of the Vice-President Johannes Lahofer (Treasurer), the next Steering Committee meeting will take place in Vienna on 18th April 2008.

2. Council a) The draft minutes of the meeting held in Brussels on 7/12/2007 are available on the FIEC website. b) The next "Presidents' only" and General Assembly/Council meetings will take place in DUBLIN on 19th June 2008.

3. Congress/ General Assembly a) Congress 2008: Dublin, Ireland, Thursday 19 – Saturday 21/6/2008 b) Congress 2009: Madrid, Spain, Thursday 18 – Saturday 20/6/2009 c) Congress 2010: Initial discussions under way

4. Meetings with Commissioners

FIEC meeting with "Energy" Commissioner Andris Piebalgs, 27/3/2008, 1500-1600 (President and Director General of FIEC) Mainly 2 themes were addressed in this meeting:  Action Plan for Energy Efficiency: Realising the Potential  Planned revision of Energy Performance of Buildings Directive

More particularly, the following issues were discussed 1. Why is it so difficult to put energy saving measures into practice, despite widespread agreement on the usefulness and necessity of such measures? 2. The threshold of 1.000 m² established by the Energy Efficiency of Buildings Directive should be reduced, even deleted. 3. For buildings owned privately, the lowest VAT rate should be applied for services (including the material involved), in order to ensure quick and efficient results in energy saving. 4. For buildings owned commercially, reduced VAT would have no purpose, as VAT is deductible in any case. Therefore, other incentives are needed. 5. The Commissioner suggests FIEC to analyse annex [IV] of the proposed directive on renewable energy [note: COM(2008)0016 of 23/1/2008] which addresses qualification necessary for installers, in order to ascertain whether something like this would be helpful in defining the qualifications necessary for energy efficiency work.

FIEC meeting with Commission-VP Günter Verheugen ("enterprises"), 28/3/2008, 1000-1130 (President VP Helmut Echterhoff and Director General) The following issues were discussed in this meeting: Energy efficiency 1. The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, aimed at mitigating the effects of climate change, is a long-term process. 2. By contrast, energy efficiency is the quickest and most efficient way of saving the world's limited energy reserves. 3. Construction is "the solution industry", able to achieve the EU's 20% energy savings target. 4. The Commissioner mentioned that the Lead Market Initiative will focus on this point, which up to now has not received the necessary attention, due to a certain emphasis on alternative energy production. This should also create a considerable number of new jobs. Reduction of bureaucracy 5. The Commissioner asked for FIEC's assistance in identifying unnecessary bureaucracy and in finding practical solutions. What should be simplified? (example: information given to one public authority should not have to be given again to another) 6. The Commissioner wishes to evaluate the actual financial burden to enterprise for compliance with EU measures and asked FIEC for help in achieving this.

FIEC FLASH – N°57, MARCH 2008 3 Published by: FIEC, European Construction Industry Federation Avenue Louise, 225– B-1050 Bruxelles/Brussel Tel: (+32 2) 514.55.35 – Fax: (+32 2) 511.02.76 – E-Mail: [email protected]– http://www.fiec.eu/ FIEC FLASH – MARCH 2008 Published 2/4/2008 SMEs/ family owned businesses 7. For the proposed "Small Business Act", the Commissioner asked for at least 1 idea of a policy initiative the SBA could put forward for the construction sector. 8. The Commissioner agreed that family owned businesses (which he considers the best business model for creating growth and jobs) having grown beyond the scope of the European SME- definition, require special attention, perhaps some specific initiatives. However, the Member States would certainly not accept a new category of enterprise. He also stressed that it is difficult to define the term "family owned business". 9. Creating "entrepreneurial spirit" commences with changing the way in which schoolbooks address this question and with training teachers accordingly. Internal Market Package for Goods/ CE-marking 10.The Commissioner explained that the CE-marking in construction is currently under review, because its current scope as proof of conformity with the "essential requirements seems to be too narrow. The question is whether this scope should be enlarged, in order to be meaningful also for consumers. 11.The Commissioner also stressed that national marks in addition to the CE-marking were not generally forbidden, but had to have additional value. 12.The Commissioner agreed that products made on site, such as windows produced from CE- marked materials, should not themselves need CE-marking. 13.The Commissioner also asked whether the CE-marking was of much use for contractors and what it means to them.

II. Current issues A. ECO

1. European Council: Prime Minister Gordon Brown and President Nicolas Sarkozy push for a “green” tax.

The European Council’s conclusions from the Spring summit meeting, held on 13th and 14th March 2008, saw the launch of an initiative on “green taxation”. The proposals aim at promoting products which help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This initiative, strongly backed by both France and the United Kingdom initially looked doomed to failure due to a lack of support from other nations.

In its conclusions, the European Council invites the Commission to present legislative proposals on VAT rates, already planned for summer 2008, and, working with the Member States, examine areas where economic instruments, including VAT rates, can play a role in increasing the use of energy- efficient goods and energy-saving materials.

However, these proposals will require the unanimous backing of all 27 EU Member States. On this question, French President Nicolas Sarkozy declared that he was “very satisfied” that green VAT was mentioned in the summit conclusions, although he conceded that the debate was far from over and that a number of countries remained opposed.

This issue is of great importance for the construction sector, considering that improving the energy efficiency of buildings is the quickest and most efficient way of saving energy. Moreover, this approach does not jeopardise Europe's economic model which is based, in large part, on the free movement of goods and persons.

The fundamental shortcoming of the Council's initiative is that it does not take into account the installation and other services necessary for the installation of these products/materials. Only if the incentives are granted for the professional services (including goods) involved in this process, will this initiative be able to achieve the most significant energy savings and emissions reductions. Energy efficiency works should be carried out by experienced professionals to ensure the effectiveness of a building's improved energy performance. Given this, incentives for goods alone would only encourage both non-professional “do it yourself” work and black labour.

FIEC President Daniel Tardy made this very clear in his meetings with Energy Commissioner Piebalgs (27/3) and Enterprise Commissioner Verheugen (28/3). Both Commissioners shared this view, hoping that the general problems linked to agreeing on tax issues among Member States would not finally block this initiative.

FIEC FLASH – N°57, MARCH 2008 4 Published by: FIEC, European Construction Industry Federation Avenue Louise, 225– B-1050 Bruxelles/Brussel Tel: (+32 2) 514.55.35 – Fax: (+32 2) 511.02.76 – E-Mail: [email protected]– http://www.fiec.eu/ FIEC FLASH – MARCH 2008 Published 2/4/2008 2. “TENs-neighbours”: Community transport treaty with the Western Balkans.

On 5th March 2008, the European Commission Vice-President in charge of transport, Jacques Barrot, asked the Council for a negotiating mandate with a view to concluding a Community transport treaty with the Western Balkan states.

This treaty aims to integrate the Balkan countries’ infrastructure and transport systems with the Community system, and to develop effective cooperation in this sector between the two parties.

The EU envisages action in three areas: infrastructure (road and rail, sea and inland waterways), legislation, and facilitating investment. Alongside loans from the European Investment Bank and funding through the pre-accession instrument, the treaty will also provide EU equivalent financing through public-private partnerships, concession systems and public procurement rules implementation.

The signing of the treaty is planned for 2009 and, according to Mr. Barrot, should ensure the “gradual integration of the Balkan peoples into the European Community”.

3. FIEC conference on TENs priority project n°30 “Canal Seine-Schelde”

In line with its involvement in the development of infrastructure and in particular the Trans-European Transport Newtork (TEN-T), FIEC on 13th March 2008 organised a conference on priority project n° 30 of the Trans-European Transport Networks “Canal Seine-Schelde” in Brussels.

Supported by INE (Inland Navigation Europe) and placed under the patronage of the European Commission (DG TREN), this event was a great success. A select audience of more than 150 stakeholders appreciated the highly informative, encouraging presentations given by the 14 speakers (power points available at www.fiec.eu).

With more than 420 million € allocated for the 2007-2013 period, this TEN-T priority project (estimated cost: 3,4 billion €) enjoys a relatively high level of support from the European Commission. The project is a genuine "missing link" in the TEN-T and will connect existing high capacity inland waterway systems. Furthermore, it will lead to the creation of new multi-modal platforms for the use of the logistics industry (transport).

For further information on the ECO Commission please contact Christine Le Forestier at the FIEC Secretariat ([email protected]; Tel: +32 2 514 55 35).

B. SOC

1. Daniel Tardy, FIEC President, addresses the Tripartite Social Summit on 13/3/2008

The Tripartite Social Summit meets at least once a year, ahead of the Spring European Council, for an exchange of views between the social partners, the Commission and the Heads of Government and employment ministers of the current and the two following Council Presidencies ("troika"). The agenda is always closely linked to the items discussed later by the Heads of State and Government at their Spring meeting.

At the latest Tripartite Social Summit that took place on 13th March 2008 in Brussels, the European Commission President José Manuel Barroso and the Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša – current President of the European Council – discussed progress made under the EU's Growth and Jobs Strategy with high-level employers' and workers' representatives. Vladimír Špidla, the Commissioner responsible for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities and representatives of the future French and Czech Council Presidencies also participated in the top-level meeting.

The representatives of the EU institutions and the European social partners (ETUC, BUSINESSEUROPE/ UEAPME and CEEP) broached, amongst other subjects, the priorities for the next three-year cycle of the Lisbon Strategy, the social consequences of climate change and energy dependency, as well as topics on the social dialogue agenda for the coming months.

FIEC President, Daniel Tardy, was part of the BusinessEurope delegation, and addressed the summit, reminding participants of the unique nature of the construction sector and the role it plays in the EU economy (10.4% of EU GDP in 2006).

FIEC FLASH – N°57, MARCH 2008 5 Published by: FIEC, European Construction Industry Federation Avenue Louise, 225– B-1050 Bruxelles/Brussel Tel: (+32 2) 514.55.35 – Fax: (+32 2) 511.02.76 – E-Mail: [email protected]– http://www.fiec.eu/ FIEC FLASH – MARCH 2008 Published 2/4/2008 He insisted on the fact that no other single industrial sector is better placed to respond to the challenge of climate change and in particular the promotion of energy efficiency, which can be explained by 3 main arguments: 1. firstly, the built environment accounts for over 40% of energy demand; more than either transport or industry; 2. secondly, existing buildings offer the most cost-effective solutions for reducing emissions; and 3. thirdly, and most important of all, in contrast to reducing emissions from the transport and industry sectors and thus taking the risk of constraining economic growth, cutting emissions in buildings has only positive effects. Estimates suggest that energy efficiency improvements to existing buildings could create 560.000 jobs in the construction sector.

This presents 2 main challenges, one for governments and society, and the other for our industry, which can play a significant role not just in meeting emission reduction targets, but also in achieving the objectives of the “Lisbon Strategy”, namely : a) how to promote construction activities that raise the energy efficiency of existing buildings. b) how to provide the additional skilled workforce and the adequate training that will undoubtedly be required.

Mr. Tardy suggested that the Social partners in the construction industry, both at the European level, namely FIEC and the EFBWW, as well as at national level, can respond to the second challenge of increasing the skilled work force. The challenge of promoting construction activities that raise the energy efficiency of buildings is to find solutions which effectively bring about the transfer of financial resources that will be needed to achieve this aim..

These issues are already on the FIEC agenda and are also a topic for discussion on the “Construction” Social Dialogue with the EFBWW. Mr. Tardy therefore strongly encouraged the present and future EU Presidencies to also give them the absolute priority they deserve on the European agenda.

2. FIEC and EFBWW sign a joint declaration on paritarian social funds in Warsaw

FIEC and EFBWW organised a conference in Warsaw (PL), in collaboration with AEIP (the European Association of Paritarian Institutions), on 6th and 7th March, aiming at promoting social dialogue and in particular paritarian social funds in the construction industry in the so-called “Visegrad countries”, namely Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary.

160 participants, representatives of employers, trade unions and public authorities, attended this conference, during which FIEC and EFBWW signed a joint declaration on paritarian funds.

This declaration recognises the important role played by paritarian social funds in the process of achieving a more sustainable construction industry. Depending on the specificities of each country, various activities, such as vocational training, occupational health and safety, occupational pensions, complementary social protection, savings and investments, etc. are issues which can be dealt with jointly in paritarian social funds set up, organised and managed by the autonomous social partners.

It also underlines that the paritarian management of the decision making process is an important pillar of the social dialogue and as such a perfect tool for achieving the objectives of the “Lisbon” strategy, combining the search for economic efficiency on the one hand with the safeguarding of salaried workers’ social rights on the other.

With this declaration FIEC and EFBWW demand, amongst others:  that the construction industry be recognised by national public authorities and legislators as a sector in which the autonomy of paritarian industrial relations, negotiations and subsequent agreements are fully recognised and facilitated;  that where it does not yet exist, national authorities set up a legal framework in which national sectoral social partners can autonomously negotiate: - collective agreements; - the creation of paritarian social funds and how they should operate.  that public authorities safeguard the full autonomy of the social partners from any political influence which may reduce the effectiveness of their joint action.

The detailed text of this declaration is available on the FIEC website at www.fiec.eu.

FIEC FLASH – N°57, MARCH 2008 6 Published by: FIEC, European Construction Industry Federation Avenue Louise, 225– B-1050 Bruxelles/Brussel Tel: (+32 2) 514.55.35 – Fax: (+32 2) 511.02.76 – E-Mail: [email protected]– http://www.fiec.eu/ FIEC FLASH – MARCH 2008 Published 2/4/2008 3. OSHA (European Agency for Safety and Health at Work) 2008-2010 campaign on “risk assessment”

The next OSHA campaign will focus on “Risk assessment”, with the aim of promoting an integrated management approach across the EU that takes into account the different steps of risk assessment.

The main objectives of the campaign are to:  encourage stakeholders at all levels to actively participate;  raise awareness of the legal responsibility and the practical need to assess risks in the workplace;  promote a simple stepwise approach to risk assessment;  demystify risk assessment and the risk assessment process;  encourage enterprises to carry out their own risk assessment;  promote the involvement of all in the workplace in risk assessment; not only employers (or experts);  improve access to good practice, tools and resources.

Risk assessment is the start of the risk management approach and a first step towards systematic health and safety management.

It is the first time that OSHA will organise a 2 year campaign and a presentation to all concerned stakeholders will take place on 10/4/2008 in Brussels.

For further information on the SOC Commission please contact Domenico Campogrande at the FIEC Secretariat ([email protected]; Tel:+32 2 514 55 35).

C. TEC

1. FIEC hosts ECCREDI Council Meeting

The European Council for Construction Research, Development and Innovation (ECCREDI) held its Council meeting at the FIEC offices in Brussels on Thursday 13th March 2008. Representatives from ECCREDI’s member associations discussed, among other topics, the new structure and proposals for subscriptions to the European Construction Technology Platform (ECTP) led by the ECTP’s acting secretary general, Luc Bourdeau, which ended in a vote to support the platform, by joining as a member. FIEC had already announced its intention to join the platform on an individual basis.

ECTP Restructure The ECTP has recently been restructured with a view to rendering its structure more simple and intelligible and to improve the platform’s communication. The representation of stakeholders and especially the role of the National Technology Platforms (NTPs) have been reinforced and a new post of Secretary General is to be created. The High Level Group (HLG), assisted by a new Executive Committee will remain the principal decision making body and will oversee implementation of the Strategy Research Agenda as adopted in June 2007. ECCREDI expects to appoint a representative to the HLG when voting to the body takes place in April. During the meeting, ECCREDI president, Scott Steedman reassured participants that ECCREDI would not lose its identity by joining the ECTP’s HLG. He went on to outline the different but complementary vocations of the two bodies: while ECTP is more involved with pushing for funding at EU level, ECCREDI seeks to encourage innovation and research in the so-called ‘technology followers’ which for a large part comprise SMEs.

Activities in support of SMEs One concern often expressed by SMEs when wishing to participate in the innovation process is the difficulty in finding relevant information on funding, owing to the multiplicity of information channels available. One activity in which ECCREDI is currently participating, in collaboration with the ECTP’s SME advisory group, is the drafting of a brochure aimed specifically at SMEs which outlines existing funding opportunities available to them under the 7th Framework Programme (FP7) organised by the European Commission’s Directorate-General (DG) for Research. It was decided at the meeting that ECCREDI should take over the running of the advisory group and channel input from member associations as to needs and suggestions concerning how to promote and increase SME participation in innovation. FIEC was pleased to inform the meeting of the successful example of the ChemXChange project, led by FIEC’s Norwegian member federation, EBA, that has secured funding from the Commission under the FP7 funding line for SME associations. Once implemented, the project

FIEC FLASH – N°57, MARCH 2008 7 Published by: FIEC, European Construction Industry Federation Avenue Louise, 225– B-1050 Bruxelles/Brussel Tel: (+32 2) 514.55.35 – Fax: (+32 2) 511.02.76 – E-Mail: [email protected]– http://www.fiec.eu/ FIEC FLASH – MARCH 2008 Published 2/4/2008 will seek to help construction SME’s in their implementation of the new REACH regulation on chemicals.

European R&D Calls for Proposals for the Construction Sector To access selective, centralized and regularly updated information on R&D programmes of the European Commission, together with the published calls for proposals, which may be interest for the construction sector, readers are invited to consult the Euro-RTD Construction Portal at: http://euro-rdt.cstb.fr/gb/default.asp

2. CEN CA Part II discusses SME access to Standardisation. FIEC on 19th March 2008 participated in the second part of the European Committee for Standardisation’s (CEN) Steering Committee meeting open to associate CEN members. Among the items discussed was the consultation recently launched by the Commission to study difficulties encountered by small and medium enterprises in accessing both the process of drawing up standards as well as the end product itself. (See FIEC circular - Mr. E 2008 / 106). The contract for the study has been awarded to a Dutch policy research company, EIM, and the study is expected to be delivered in March 2009. On the issue of SME access to standardisation, it is appropriate to draw a distinction between the process of standardisation itself and the end product. On this last point, the Commission has examined a number of arguments seeking to make standards available free of charge to SMEs.

FIEC made its position clear that the drawing up of standards should, as far as possible, be a “bottom- up” process and not one imposed “top-down” by the European Commission or standards institutes. It also reiterated its view that, especially in the case of construction products, the widest possible constituency of experts working at the “coal face” should be involved in the work of CEN technical committees (TCs).

One of FIEC’s main concerns is the worrying trend of SME organisations seeking to speak for operators in the supply chain that have different and indeed often conflicting interests. In order to counter this - and better ensure that the widest range of actors are represented in the standardisation process - FIEC has been active in promoting the interests of users within CEN/TC-104 undertaking revision of the EN 206 standard for concrete In this context, as far as future funding for European coordination of SME representation in standardisation is concerned, FIEC insisted in the meeting that before any new money is disbursed, a thorough review of the effectiveness of existing financing should be carried out in order to ensure that money paid out to encourage SME participation in the standardisation process properly reflects both the real needs and the diversity of actors involved.

3. TEC-1 debates forthcoming revision of Construction Products Directive. Sub-commission TEC-1 “Directives, Standards and Quality Assurance” held its second meeting of the year on 20th March 2008. Observers were present from the Council of European Producers of Materials for Construction (CEPMC), the European Organisation for Technical Approvals (EOTA) and the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN).One of the items on the agenda was the forthcoming revision of the Construction Products Directive. Since the Commission has yet to adopt its proposed text, participants in the meeting made use of a draft, circulated informally at the end of December although it is unclear to which extent the final draft will resemble the text circulated at that time.

FIEC’s reservations concerning the draft text are the following:  The definition of “making available on the market” should, under no circumstances, draw contractors into the obligation to affix the CE marking onto products. At the moment the definition excludes products manufactured or used for one’s own use on a construction site. FIEC claims that this should be extended to products made for one’s own use off site and delivered to a construction site to be used in works. Therefore, FIEC would support the re- wording of the legislation as follows: “This excludes the manufacturing, assembling and installation of a construction product by construction enterprises for their own use in construction works.”  The Specific Technical Document (STD) as it stands in the in the draft text in unacceptable to both CEPMC and FIEC. Creating the possibility for manufacturers, depending on the size of enterprise, to circumvent requirements for third party testing would lead to a lower level of confidence in the CE marking. To facilitate small scale producers, FIEC believes that suitable provisions for custom made or small series production – as for example a custom made door produced and fitted by a joiner – should be specifically made within the texts of harmonised standards (hENs) or European Technical Approvals (ETAs) without jeopardizing confidence in the conformity assessment system.

FIEC FLASH – N°57, MARCH 2008 8 Published by: FIEC, European Construction Industry Federation Avenue Louise, 225– B-1050 Bruxelles/Brussel Tel: (+32 2) 514.55.35 – Fax: (+32 2) 511.02.76 – E-Mail: [email protected]– http://www.fiec.eu/ FIEC FLASH – MARCH 2008 Published 2/4/2008 As a result of these discussions, FIEC, CEPMC, EOTA and CEN drew up a list of observations concerning the revision of the directive that will be jointly presented in an informal meeting with Mr. Leoz Arguelles, Head of the Construction Unit within the European Commission’s Directorate General for Enterprise before the end of March.

For further information on the TEC Commission please contact John Goodall at the FIEC Secretariat ([email protected]; Tel: +32 2 514 55 35).

D. SME

On behalf of Vice-President Cordeel, chairman of the SME Working Group, the FIEC member federations have been invited to participate in the activities of this new working group as confirmed in the last Council meeting, namely: a) financing conditions for SMEs (risk capital, long and short term loans) with regard to the specifics of the construction industry (upfront financing, guarantee deposits, retention money, etc.); b) high value financial securities required in PPP projects (as a guarantee of satisfactory completion and/or commitment for maintenance); are difficult to obtain for SMEs and family owned companies; c) facilitation of SME successions and takeovers.

The first meeting: 4th March 2008 in Brussels (supporting documents available on-line / Mr. 2008/066 + 083).

For further information on the SME working group please contact Ulrich Paetzold at the FIEC Secretariat ([email protected]; Tel:+32 2 514 55 35).

E. MEDA

1. MEDA newsletter

The latest MEDA newsletter is available on the FIEC website.

For further information on MEDA please contact Ulrich Paetzold at the FIEC Secretariat ([email protected]; Tel:+32 2 514 55 35).

F. Speeches/ Presentations on behalf of FIEC

 Speech given by Daniel Tardy, FIEC President, at the Tripartite Social Summit that took place on 13/3/2008 in Brussels (see article in the SOC chapter).

G. Members Corner

1. Current deadlines for response

MR E TO SUBJECT DEADLINE NUMBER 2007/363 ECO-PLEN Qualification procedures in Europe 25/1/2008 (*) DG ENTR Study on “Future Qualification 2008/055 SOC 1 and skills needs in the Construction 20/2/2008(*) Sector” e-mail Presidents of FIEC Congress in DUBLIN dated Member GLOBAL registration form 26/2/2008 (*) 25/1/2008 Federations by country/federation + Mr. Europe for info ECO-PLEN, ECO- Statistical Report Nr 51 2008/051 10/3/2008 (*) STAT List of experts ECO-PLEN, ECO- Statistical Report Nr 51 2008/084 15/3/2008 (*) STAT Notes on Methodology ECO PLEN, TWG 2008/059 FIEC Blue Book – 15th edition 31/3/2008 (*) TENs Commission issues questionnaire to assist in drafting report on 2008/099 TEC-1,3 Implementation of Integrated Product 4/4/2008 Policy among Member States and Stakeholders EC Study on “Voluntary arrangements 2008/105 ECO-PLEN for collaborative working in the field of 4/4/2008 construction services” 2008/118 SOC-PLEN, SOC-3 Undeclared Labour 4/4/2008 2008/116 SOC, ECO, TEC Corporate Social Responsibility 9/4/2008 2007/370 2008/028 ECO-PLEN Questionnaire on Late Payments (TER) 30/4/2008 2008/049

(*) YOUR REACTION IS STILL EXPECTED

All FIEC consultations are available on the web site : www.fiec.eu / For our Members / Consultations

2. Internal forthcoming meetings

2008 Body Place Details  4th April TEC-3 CANCELLED BRUSSELS MR E 2008/112

 4th April DUBLIN CONFERENCE WG BRUSSELS

 8th April ECO-PLEN BRUSSELS

 10th April AD-HOC GROUP “TENS” BRUSSELS MR E 2008/081 SOC-3 + "EMPLOYMENT "SOCIAL  14th-15th April BRUSSELS DIALOGUE  18th April FIEC STEERING COMMITTEE VIENNA ZARAGOZA  24th April TEC 4 (ES)  16th May TEC-PLEN BRUSSELS SOC – PLEN &  20th May BRUSSELS MR.E 2007/285 SOCIAL DIALOGUE PLENARY MEETING FIEC CONGRESS individual registration  19th – 21st June www.fiecdublin.com DUBLIN deadline = 28/4/2008 2008

STEERING COMMITTEE  19th June 2008 « PRESIDENTS » MEETING DUBLIN COUNCIL/GENERAL ASSEMBLY

th th  26 – 27 June SOC-1 + "TRAINING" SOCIAL DIALOGUE GIJON (ES) TO BE CONFIRMED  13th-14th October SOC-2 + "H&S" SOCIAL DIALOGUE BRUSSELS  20th – 21th SOC-3 + “EMPLOYMENT” SOCIAL BRUSSELS November DIALOGUE SOC – PLEN &  16th December 2008 BRUSSELS MR.E 2007/285 SOCIAL DIALOGUE PLENARY MEETING

All meetings documents are available on the web site : www.fiec.eu / For our Members / Diary

3. EIC / CICA / Member Federations

Dates Body Organisation Details

 15- EIC General Assembly EIC www.eicontractors.de 16/5/2008 (Milano)

 2- EIC General Assembly EIC www.eicontractors.de 3/10/2008 (Amsterdam)

FIEC FLASH – N°57, MARCH 2008 11 Published by: FIEC, European Construction Industry Federation Avenue Louise, 225– B-1050 Bruxelles/Brussel Tel: (+32 2) 514.55.35 – Fax: (+32 2) 511.02.76 – E-Mail: [email protected]– http://www.fiec.eu/ FIEC FLASH – MARCH 2008 Published 2/4/2008 4. External Meetings

2008 “Wood as key success factor  2-5/04 Exhibition Centre http://press.nuernbergmesse.de/en/h / Nürnberg Nuremberg olz_handwerk/25.pm.3805.html HOLZ-HANDWERK 2008” Conference: Designing for http://www.ace-  10/04 ARCHITECTS’ COUNCIL OF the future: “THE MARKET & cae.org/MemberN/Content/EN/downl Brussels EUROPE (ACE) QUALITY OF LIFE” oad/events/FlyerA5Final.pdf Nanocem Open Meeting: Role of Nano and Micro  22/04 www.nanocem.org Processes in the NANOCEM Deadline for registration: March 7, 2008  Prague Performance of Cement and Concrete  23-24/04 Build Green CEE - Energy SOPOLEC Business Bucharest Efficient and Ecological www.BuildGreenCEE.com Advisory Services (Romania) Design for the Region  24-26/04 Further information is available under RENEXPO REECO GmbH www.renexpo-budapest.com  Budapest Seminar : MGYOSZ, “Labour Market Challenges:  6/05 the Confederation of Hungarian and EU best http://www.mgyosz.hu/progr/pra.php Budapest Hungarian Employers practices to fight against and Industrialists. undeclared work” TAILOR MADE CONCRETE  19-22/05 STRUCTURES NEW SOLUTIONS fib 2008 symposium http://www.fib2008amsterdam.nl/ Amsterdam FOR OUR SOCIETY  21-23/05 Eurasphalt & EAPA https://www.welcomehome.dk/Defaul Copenhagen Eurobitume Congress & EUROBITUME t.aspx?ID=865 (Denmark)

ENERGIE- UND  30-31/05 The 3rd European E-mail: [email protected] UMWELTZENTRUM AM Kassel (Germany) BlowerDoor-Symposium Internet: www.e-u-z.de DEISTER GMBH, 6th International Conference  9-11/06 analytical models and new AMCM 2008 www.amcm2008.p.lodz.pl Lodz (Poland) concepts in concrete and masonry structures  19–22/06 EFFC – European Copenhagen Annual General Meeting Federation of Foundation [email protected] (Denmark) Contractors  27-28/09 Trade Fair for accessible Augsburg building, housing and living AFAG (Nuremberg) http://www.fachmesse-b-free.de (Germany) for All EFFC – European  03/10 Executive Committee Federation of Foundation [email protected] Krakow (Poland) Contractors CONFERENCE  22- 24/10 PLEA 2008 “Towards Zero Energy www.plea2008.org  Organising Committee Dublin Building” 8th International Symposium  27-29/10 on Utilization of High- 8HSC-HPC http://www.jci-web.jp/8HSC-HPC/ Tokyo (Japan) Strength and High- Performance Concrete 7th European Conference on  10-12/12 Product and Process ECPPM www.ecppm.org  Nice (France) Modelling

FIEC FLASH – N°57, MARCH 2008 12 Published by: FIEC, European Construction Industry Federation Avenue Louise, 225– B-1050 Bruxelles/Brussel Tel: (+32 2) 514.55.35 – Fax: (+32 2) 511.02.76 – E-Mail: [email protected]– http://www.fiec.eu/