The European Federation of Engineering Consultancy Associations (EFCA), representing more than 10,000 companies in 27 countries, has outlined its position on the European Commission’s AI Act and Data Act omnibus proposals.
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EFCA’s position paper goes about the Digital Omnibus on the AI Act and Digital Omnibus on the Data Act.

Key takeaways for engineers

In general, EFCA welcomes the new rules. At the same time, the federation emphasizes that specifics of construction and infrastructure projects must be taken into account.

There are a few significant points.

1. AI in construction sector – explicit clarifications needed

AI systems are already used in:

• site safety monitoring
• structural health monitoring
• digital twins
• autonomous machinery support systems

EFCA believes that high-risk AI obligations should be applied once technical standards and sectoral guidance are available. Otherwise, it can result in legal uncertainty and delayed investment.

The federation also highlights that construction projects should be included in regulatory sandboxes – controlled environments to test innovative technologies.

2. Data is not simply information but a competitive advantage

Engineering consultancies work with large datasets:

• BIM;
• digital twins;
• geospatial and cadastral;
• technical calculations.

EFCA underlines the necessity of:

• clear trade secret protection;
• clear public sector data access regulations;
• prevention of long-term cloud service vendor lock-in;
• proportionality of requirements for SMEs and SMCs.

3. B2G data sharing in public emergencies only

The federation supports critical data access for public authorities in genuine public emergencies but notes that such data sharing should be strictly limited, proportionate, and provide for fair compensation of costs to businesses.

Why it matters to Ukraine

European AI and data regulations will directly affect engineering companies involved in international projects and reconstruction sector.

The following aspects remain crucial for infrastructure projects:

• legal certainty;
• protection of engineering know-how;
• access to quality public data;
• opportunity to test new technologies without administrative overburdening.

ICEG points out that digitalization of construction covers not only technology. First of all, it is a matter of standards, process management, and strict regulations of data processing. A well-balanced regulation creates conditions for a safe introduction of AI and effective delivery of infrastructure projects.