Dept of Trade, Enterprise & Employment

30th May 2002

Mr Frank Doheny

Market Access Unit

Dept of Trade, Enterprise & Employment

Earlsfort Centre

Lower Hatch Street

Dublin 2

Re: World Trade Organisation Negotiations

Dear Mr Doheny

I refer to the launch by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) members of a new round of multilateral trade negotiations and specifically your request for observations on the negotiations on trade in services being conducted in the WTO and at European Union fora.

The Institution of Engineers of Ireland (IEI) represents the engineering profession in Ireland across all disciplines, in all industry sectors and in the public service. With over 20,000 members, IEI is the body which represents Ireland’s interests in the professional engineering area internationally. IEI plays a significant role in promoting the quality and mobility of Irish engineers internationally via a wide range of international and mutual recognition agreements. These agreements, signed by IEI, include: -

The Engineers Mobility Forum (EMF) Agreement which provides for the establishment of an International Register of Professional Engineers from June 2002 across the signatory countries US, Canada, Japan, Australia, UK, Hong Hong-China, New Zealand, South Africa, Korea, Malaysia and Ireland. Only professional degree level engineers who have reached a certain level of academic achievement, practical work experience and continuing professional development are eligible for inclusion on this Register.

The Washington Accord which provides for mutual recognition of engineering degree level qualifications across the nine signatory countries which include US, Canada, Japan, UK, Hong Kong-China, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Ireland.

The Sydney Accord which provides for the mutual recognition of technology qualifications (National Diploma level) and signed by Australia, Canada, Hong Kong-China, New Zealand, South Africa, UK and Ireland.

The Dublin Accord which provides for mutual recognition of engineering technician qualifications across the signatory countries UK, Canada, South Africa and Ireland.

From the above it is evident that very significant progress has been made internationally in recent years by the professional engineering institutions and nationally recognised registration bodies for engineers in putting in place a framework of agreements which should facilitate the mobility of engineering professionals and technicians internationally. However, while at the level of these professional institutions and registration bodies, there is recognition and acceptance of the substantial equivalence of academic qualifications and of the nature of professional experience obtained, there are significant difficulties faced by engineers in gaining rights to practice in certain jurisdictions. These difficulties are brought about by different and sometimes quite restrictive requirements by the licensing authorities, either within countries or in individual states within countries such as the US and Canada.

In such jurisdictions the right to practice as a professional engineer requires a license granted by the appointed local regulatory or licensing authority.

The Institution of Engineers of Ireland believes that the significant progress made internationally between countries, including the US, in recognising the substantial equivalence of engineering academic qualifications, and the establishment of the International Register of Professional Engineers, should be progressed further under WTO negotiations by the removal of local barriers within individual countries to the mobility and right to practice of individual engineers.

This issue of the mobility and freedom to practice is an important one for Irish engineers. Local licensing requirements in certain countries and in particular the US, make it practically impossible for Irish consulting engineering companies to compete and practice in these countries. No such licensing restrictions are placed on US or other engineers or engineering consulting companies who wish to work in Ireland.

Foreign consulting and contracting engineering companies have free access to the Irish market and to the significant business available under Ireland’s National Development Plan. Under WTO negotiations, IEI strongly urges the Irish Government to press for open access to practice for Irish engineers and engineering consulting companies in WTO signatory countries.

Yours sincerely

Paddy Purcell

Chartered Engineer

DIRECTOR GENERAL