Commitment
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International representation
Sectoral, discipline-specific representation of interests at European and global level
The purpose of the CSA's involvement abroad is to represent Swiss interests in the European and international professional organisations, in particular to influence European legislation and international treaties and agreements, as both are relevant to the internal market. First of all, however, it is a question of participating in the development of the necessary rules and guidelines for the profession itself, which are coordinated at European and international level. These rules, especially if they are ratified by international organisations, subsequently serve as a reference at the national level, both for political and legislative work and for the profession itself.
It should also not be underestimated that this networking serves both cultural exchange and international cooperation, and that corresponding mandates ultimately have an ambassadorial function in safeguarding and promoting Switzerland's interests and values.
With its limited human and financial resources, the CSA focuses its involvement in the European and international professional organisations on specific topics, which it pursues over several years if possible.
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ACE
Architects' Council of Europe, Brussels
Founded in 1990, the ACE is the merger of the former Liaison Committee of Architects of United Europe (CLAEU) and the former Council of European Architects (CEA). Its current members are national associations and chambers of architects of the member states of the European Union. Switzerland (CSA) was admitted as a member with observer status in 1993 and as a full member with exceptional status in 2002 and has been represented on the board repeatedly since then. The main task of the ACE, which is financed exclusively by membership fees and represents more than 550,000 architects, is not only to coordinate and cooperate within the profession throughout Europe, but also to influence EU legislation (conditions for recognition and market access, quality standards for training and services, sustainability, building culture, etc.). The content of the dossiers (guidelines, consultations, statements, etc.) is handled by working groups, the Executive Committee and the Secretariat, which are in close contact with the EU Commission and the responsible EU commissioners. Decisions and elections at the biannual ACE delegates' meetings are made on a proportional basis.
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UIA
International Union of Architects, Paris
Founded in Lausanne in 1948, the UIA is the world's only international organisation of architects and thus represents the interests of around 3.2 million professionals. After the war, it replaced the three organisations or movements CPIA (Comité Permanent International des Architectes), RIA (Réunions Internationales d'Architectes) and CIAM (Congrès International d'Architecture Moderne) in their international activities. It is an NGO under French law with consultative status with the UN bodies and institutions relevant to it (ECOSOC, UNESCO, UN-HABITAT, UNEP, UNDP, WTO, WHO, WIPO) and in the Council of Europe. Since the founding years, Switzerland (founding member), in addition to its function as a section within the Assembly of Delegates, has only since the existence of the CSA made its mark both in commissions and on the Council or Board.
The UIA's task is to exchange experience within the profession across borders and cultures, to identify phenomena relevant to the discipline at an early stage, and to form an internationally consolidated expert opinion in the thematic areas of its commissions and working groups (e.g. training, professional practice/competition, sustainability), as well as to draw up corresponding guidelines and recommendations for the attention of regional and national associations and institutions.
Through statements and lobbying, it attempts to introduce its positions into international treaties and agreements via international organisations, and to sensitise politicians at all levels to specific issues of the built environment. The organisation, which consists of five regions and is financed by membership fees, congresses, forums and the assessment of international competition procedures, decides and elects on the basis of proportional representation at its triennial assembly of delegates, and on the basis of parity (regions) at the level of the Council, which meets every six months.