110809 EFLA_Prof.Qual.Dir_Report

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Strengthening recognition of professional qualifications and improved access to markets by facilitating recognition – Opportunities for landscape architects in the revision of Directive 2005/36/EC Recognition of Professional Qualifications Dr Joachim Jobi, BAK Brussels, Prof Fritz Auweck, EFLA The fact that landscape architects sometimes face unexpected difficulties when working in EU countries is a matter of common knowledge. We as landscape architects also suffer from there still being different professional statutes. In some countries the profession and the title landscape architect are protected, in others they are unregulated and in one country (France) the title landscape architect may not even be used. These are some of the reasons why EFLA is supporting the efforts of the Federal Chamber of German Architects (Bundesarchitektenkammer), which also represents landscape architects, interior architects and urban planners, in their aim to improve the situation. What brought it about was the evaluation and revision of the EU Recognition of Professional Qualifications Directive of 2005. In Germany landscape architects at the Federal Chamber of German Architects joined up with interior architects and urban planners in 2010 to form a working group which was to look into the opportunities and potential of sustainable improvement of the EU-­‐wide recognition of professional qualifications. It soon became clear that change can only be accomplished in cooperation with the European professional associations. The German working group, comprising the representative office of the Federal Chamber of German Architects in Brussels (Dr Jobi) and the European professional associations [EFLA (landscape architects), ECIA (interior architects) and ECTP (urban planners)] have been working together since the spring of 2010. EFLA is represented by Fritz Auweck, who is also a member of the national working group. An elaborate study on European educational standards in the three disciplines and the structure of the profession as well as the obstacles to mobility in the 27 EU member states and the countries of the Council of Europe was completed in spring 2011. The recorded data was systematically analysed (see Table: EFLA_Prof_Recogn_Database_Final) and defined by a joint position paper including concrete proposals for the improvement and acceleration of the recognition of landscape architects, interior architects and urban planners. These documents were presented and elucidated at the European Commission (Directorate General Internal Markets and Services) in spring 2011. The endeavour to improve recognition and consequently access to other markets is embedded in the EU Commission’s present considerations regarding the revision of Directive 2005/36/EC Recognition of Professional Qualifications, which are fundamental to this matter. From autumn 2010 to spring 2011 the directive was evaluated and public consultation took place at the level of national professional associations. In some countries the public authorities hosted information events. At these events the landscape architects stated their position and demanded better recognition at the European level. The problem during this stage was that in many countries mainly architects’ associations were consulted without including landscape architects. The so-­‐called Green Book, published on 22 June 2011, contains the findings of evaluations and consultations and is the first to offer concrete options for the updating of the Recognition of Professional Qualifications Directive. This takes the revision process of the Directive into its critical phase. The proposals are listed in the Green Book and cover the following issues:


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