The Founding Charter:
Towards the establishment of common rules for the town planning profession

The Liaison Committee for Town Planners in the EEC was founded in 1978 to advocate professional recognition of planners at European level with the aim of furthering the free movement and the right of establishment of the profession in all Member States. The first President of the Liaison Committee was Charles Delfante, followed by Willem Schut (1980-81) and Hugh Crawford (1982-83). The Committee became an International Association with a Scientific Purpose under Belgian law in 1979. The European Commission decided not to draft a Directive specifically regulating the town planning profession at the EC level, and the Liaison Committee decided to establish common rules for the profession between the national institutes and associations of Town Planners in all Member States of the EC. On 8 November 1985, under the Presidency of Gus Franken, the national associations of town planners which had been members of the Liaison Committee for Town Planners signed an International Agreement and Declaration in Amsterdam, the founding charter of the ECTP. (Historical Background)

In this Charter, ECTP member associations and institutes have laid down the bases for establishing common rules for the planning profession by specifying the field and nature of the professional town planner's activities; educational and training criteria; and professional and conduct requirements.

• The nature and the fields of activity for the town planning profession which are common to all member countries of the European Union are defined in Annex A of the Charter.
• A minimum common core for education and training needed for the planning profession is defined in Appendix B of the Charter. This is a preliminary step towards the harmonisation of national requirements regarding the education, training and professional conduct of town planners with the view to achieve, in due course, mutual recognition of membership requirements and qualifications among EU member states.
• A professional code of ethics establishing criteria of professional competence and conduct which will be observed by all member town planners of national associations and institutes in the European Council of Town Planners is defined in Annex C of the Charter.
  Click Here for: the complete text of the Charter.