EIC celebrates 40th anniversary
At the spring 2010 General Assembly on 29-30 April, EIC could look back on 40 years of dedicated work on behalf of European international contractors.
30 April 2010
As host, the President of the German Construction Industry Federation, Herbert Bodner, thanked EIC and its President, Michel Michel Démarre, for defending the general international interests of the European construction industy over four decades. He recalled that the association since 1970 has been advocating
- fair and balanced standard contract conditions, including efficient dispute settlement,
- innovative tender procedures, which are not “obsessed with the lowest price” but give quality a fair chance,
- Public-Private Partnerships and, last but not least,
- a response of the European construction industry to the growing demand for international environmental, ethical and social standards.
EIC President Démarre, who was reelected at the Berlin General Assembly unanimously, thanked the numerous dedicated contractors who had supported the work of the association as Delegates, Members of the Working Groups or Board Members. In particular he thanked his predecessors who had made a real difference for the life of the association thanks to their ability to anticipate the consequences of the changes within our industry for EIC.
Last but not least, one of the Founding Fathers of EIC, Ernst Trapp, looked back at the early years of EIC. He recalled that the F.I.E.E.B.T.P. General Assembly in Cannes decided in 1969 to establish an "International Contrctors Section" (ICS), a decision which was implemented in spring 1970 in Wassenaar. In the year 1977, when ICS was increasingly dealing with international institutions, the association assumed the name "European International Contractors" (EIC) which it has kept since then.
