May 2010

On May 6-7 Bucharest, the Romanian capital city, welcomed the 2nd European surveyors’ conference entitled “The cadastral surveyor – paving the way to the Future”. The Conference started with a minute’s silence in memory of Marek Ziemak, Polish colleague and CLGE delegate, who unexpectedly died on May 1st. Over 300 delegates from across Europe and the host country attended the conference. The Conference achieved its objectives and adopted the “Bucharest Declaration”. More news and the Bucharest Declaration can be found on the CLGE web site and the official conference site.

Although the General Assembly was short due to the Conference it contained presentations of the work in from past years and some promising news about incoming countries. President Henning Elmstroem spoke about the conferences held since 2005 and announced future meetings and conference to come. The list can be seen on CLGE web site.

The FIG president Prof. Stig Enemark gave a keynote speech at the conference entitled “From Cadastre to Land Governance”. The main message to surveyors was that the land surveying profession in the contemporary world has much wider meaning than just surveying or measurement. Today the land surveyor is a land professional whose role in society is greater than ever before. The conference presentations can be downloaded from the CLGE web site and from the official conference site.

The CLGE GA held in Bucharest on May 7 has granted Dipl. Eng. Volkmar Teetzmann a CLGE Honorary Membership. Mr. Teetzmann has been an active and dedicated CLGE member for many years. He has made an invaluable contribution towards achieving CLGE objectives, strengthening and harmonising the profession across Europe and ensuring its recognition in EU institutions. CLGE members and delegates at the 2nd European surveyors’ conference expressed their gratitude with a standing ovation.

CLGE Vice President Rob Mahoney has been elected to the position of RICS Honorary Secretary. This is one of the foremost member positions in the Institution and the first time in the Institutions history that a Land Surveyor has held the position. Rob is currently a member of the Management Board and chairs the Knowledge Board responsible for Professional Standards and Technical Guidance. He takes up the new position on 13th July.

In April 2010 CLGE nominated Rudolf Kolbe, its Vice President, for election to the CEPLIS Executive Board for the period 2010 – 2013. Rudolf Kolbe succeeds CLGE’s current delegate Alain Gaudet. He has been active in CEPLIS for more than 6 years as a delegate for ECEC and a Board member since 2007. He was recently elected as Vice President. Rudolf played a major role in the translation of the CEPLIS values of liberal professionals into the CLGE Code of Conduct, adopted in September 2009.

CLGE’s Student & Trainee Exchange Programme (FirstSTEP) was launched in September 2009. To date 27 students have placed an application on line and their countries of origin vary from Croatia to England to France, Ghana, India, Ireland, Nigeria, Poland, Scotland, Sweden, Latvia, Estonia, Nepal and Turkey. In contrast only six companies have posted a vacancy on line and work is underway to improve the situation.

FirstSTEP can be accessed on CLGE web site.

Five years after its adoption, the European Commission has started an evaluation of the Professional Qualifications Directive (2005/36/CE). The aim of this process is to scrutinise the implementation of this directive in all EU at the national level countries. The evaluation process will lead to a new proposal for a directive in 2012. CLGE is determined to be actively involved in this process to ensure that the surveyors’ interests are taken into consideration.

The XX international symposium “Modern Technologies, Education and Professional Practice in Geodesy and Related Fields” will take place in Albena Resort in Varna, Bulgaria. The Symposium is being organized by FIG, ISPRS, ICA, CLGE and many other international and national organizations. Symposium will discuss geodesy, photogrammetry, cartography, satellite technologies, physical planning, cadastre, GIS, education and professional practice. For up-to-date information follow the information on the Symposium web site.

The Chamber of Graduated Surveyors in Bulgaria is hosting the Joint Meeting of two FIG Commissions working in the field of public oriented surveying and cadastre. The meeting will take place in the Hotel Hilton, Sofia, Bulgaria. The event’s theme covers Cadastral and Land Management issues of the first 10 years of the Millennium. More information can be found on http://www.conference.kig-bg.org.

The seminar “The Geodetic Infrastructure in Europe – today and tomorrow” will take place in Umea in Sweden. It will address GNSS – GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, CORS – networks within Europe and other related issues. Organisers of the seminar are CLGE, FIG, ASPECT (Swedish Association for Surveying, Property Evaluation and valuation, Competence development and Transaction) and the National Land Survey of Sweden. More information can be found on ASPECT’s web site.

The Finnish Association of Geodetic and Land Surveyors (MIL) at its general assembly that held in March endorsed the Code of Conduct for European Surveyors (CoC) as guidelines for professional behaviour. The CoC was translated into Finnish, put on MIL's website and the essential contents were reported to the general assembly. No objections to the spirit or content of the document. CoC conforms with the ethical rules of MIL.

The Hungarian Society of Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing (MFTTT), the Section of Surveying and Geoinformation of the Hungarian Chamber of Engineers (MMKGGT) and the Association of the Hungarian Geoinformatic and Geodetic Surveying Enterprises (MFGVE) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in jointly applying for membership of CLGE. The three signatories formed a national Liaison Group that will delegate three representatives to CLGE.