Last week, Inés Ferguson, President of the European Federation of Engineering Consultancy Associations (EFCA), and Catherine Karakatsanis, President of the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) signed a partnership agreement.

The new agreement came as a result of constructive discussions of the future collaboration and reflects a clear understanding and mutual respect between the two leading federations in the engineering community as to their strategic roles and responsibilities in representing a key global and European industry sector, FIDIC reports.

This launches a new stage of a closer cooperation between the two organizations that together represent the sector at the European and global level. A key feature of the partnership is forming the European Global Action Committee (EGAC), an agency set up to ensure efficient coordination and communication aimed at solving specific problems on behalf of engineering consulting firms.

EFCA President Inés Ferguson noted that “the EFCA board is thrilled to be signing this agreement which also recognises that FIDIC and EFCA are two fully independent associations accountable to their members and whose joint activities will be carried out with the objective of adding value to their member associations and the industry.”

We are confident that the new level of cooperation between FIDIC and EFCA will be continued in Ukraine through the Interstate Consultants Engineers Guild (ICEG) which is a member of EFCA and maintains close partnerships with like-minded colleagues in the field of engineering consultancy across Europe and the world.

Issues of implementing the international experience of delivering construction projects also accumulated by FIDIC and EFCA were discussed at the annual meeting of ICEG members and partners, dedicated to construction engineering tasks in the course of Ukraine’s reconstruction. A welcome address by Alfredo Ingletti, FIDIC President Elect, that he delivered at the beginning outlined new goals and prospects of further cooperation.

EFCA President Inés Ferguson (left) and FIDIC President Catherine Karakatsanis signing the partnership and cooperation agreement