4-01 (December 2001) European Union by Ursula Wirtz INTECOM

A step towards higher quality standards for product information throughout the EU

When the EURO comes to bring the EU-countries closer together on the financial level, technical communication won’t stay behind.

In terms of quality standards for technical communication in the member and candidate countries of the EU, there is still a great deal of work to do - as delegates from the different national societies for technical communication in Europe stated unanimously at a meeting in Brussels on 1st April this year (see also article SA 27 in TC Forum 2/2001). The initiative for the meeting had been taken by tekom (Germany) and ISTC (United Kingdom). Among the represented societies were CRT (France), FTI (Sweden), ISTC (UK), STD (Finland), STIC (Netherlands), TECOM (Switzerland) and tekom (Germany and Austria). The delegates discussed and finally approved a joint declaration of intent on closer co-operation and the foundation of a European umbrella organisation called TCeurope. Co-operation can be as diverse as the relevant areas. Education, labour market and European-wide standards are only some of the priorities.

Facing a changing reality with industries, consumers and institutions, which are moving closer in the framework of the EU, the national societies have to find new strategies to meet the needs of their members more adequately and more efficiently.

In the meantime, almost all the national societies represented at the meeting in Brussels have ratified the joint declaration and decided to adhere to it. On 8th December a conference of presidents of the national societies will take place in Wiesbaden, Germany. The statutes of the proposed umbrella organisation will be discussed and voted upon. Hopefully TCeurope will be registered next year.

The joint efforts will focus mainly on the development of academic, vocational and further training and the standardisation of qualifications for technical communicators. It will also discuss

• supporting the foundation and development of national societies for technical communication in those countries where they are lacking,
• the transfer of knowledge and information in the field of technical documentation,
• increasing awareness in the institutions of the EU, and
• improving quality standards throughout the EU member and candidate countries.

Cross-boarder projects such as organising joint conferences or creating networks and joint fund-raising could be important steps towards these goals.

It was also outlined in the declaration of intent that "the independence and the exclusive right of representation of the existing national organisations will not be affected by this proposed European organisation" and that "the national organisations will be free to continue their world-wide co-operation with all the other societies for technical communicators within the framework of INTECOM."  

"transline Deutschland - Übersetzungsdienst für technische Übersetzung"