Today in Luxembourg, the Architects’ Council of Europe (ACE) joined forces with the Order of Architects and Consulting Engineers in Luxembourg (OAI), the European Federation of Engineering Consultancy Associations (EFCA), and the European Council of Engineers Chambers (ECEC) for a high-level joint conference titled “Architects + Engineers: Partnership for Resilient Design.” 

The event brought together leading voices from architecture and engineering across Europe to highlight the crucial role of our professions in delivering resilient, sustainable, and future-ready solutions. 

Key topics and Conference Highlights

In the context of the ongoing revision of the EU Public Procurement Directive (PPD) and in alignment with the New European Bauhaus (NEB) initiative, the conference spotlighted the urgent need for reforms to ensure quality-based procurement and better support for innovative, SME-driven solutions.

A Joint Commitment: The Luxembourg Declaration

To close the conference, the four organisations unveiled the Luxembourg Declaration on Public Procurement—a shared commitment to improving procurement practices across Europe in support of design quality, sustainability, and long-term value. 

The full Declaration will be released next week, capturing the joint vision and policy recommendations from the architectural and engineering sectors to: 

1. Strengthen the internal market with overarching public procurement rules that go beyond lowest price 

2 Provide for better recognition of the specific nature of intellectual services 

3 Ensure quality- and innovation oriented procurement procedures 

4. Improve access to procurement for SMEs and new entrants

The four Presidents’ Organisations presented the Declaration to Eric Thill, Luxembourg’s Minister of Culture.

Nina DRAZIN LOVREC, ECEC President, Ruth SCHAGEMANN, ACE President, Eric THILL, Luxembourg’s Minister of Culture Michelle FRIEDERICI, OAI President and Inés FERGUSON VAZQUEZ DE PARGA, EFCA President . Photo by ACE.

Opening from ACE President Ruth Schagemann

In her address, ACE President Ruth Schagemann emphasised the need for structural reform:  “We believe that this requires structural changes to the Public Procurement Directive:  It requires recognising the specific nature of intellectual services and ensuring that quality-based selection becomes the norm, not the exception. It requires simplifying access for SMEs and fostering innovation by encouraging design competitions and rewarding creative, forward-looking solutions. It requires better equipping contracting authorities to make informed, quality-driven choices that reflect long-term societal benefits. 

We know that change is possible. And we know that the professions represented here today—architects, engineers, planners, consultants—stand ready to play their part. But we also need the European Institutions to provide the right frameworks and incentives. This is why today’s conference is so important. It is an opportunity to align our efforts, to make our voices heard, and to feed into the revision process with concrete, actionable proposals.”

Missed the event? 

Catch up with the full conference available on the ACE YouTube Channel.

Speakers & Presentations

Read more about the Speakers in the Media KIt.
Explore the key insights shared by our speakers and pics hier.

PICTURES BY MATHILDE MAGNE/MELT STUDIO.

This event is co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union.