For the Technical Chamber of Greece (TCG), each member is unique. Thats why, it attempts to help all its members fulfill their potential and have a successful career. Meanwhile, all the TCG members bear the same rights and obligations. In this respect, the TCG provides both personalized and all- inclusive services to its members with a commitment to excellence. The main services provided by the TCG to its members include:
Providing counseling and support regarding any problems they may face in the practice of their profession (compensation, insurance, tax and employment matters)
Striving to secure equitable remuneration for the services provided by its members
Providing information about the institutional framework of the professional rights of engineers
Caring for the continuing education, social security authority and promotion of its members
Suggesting new fields of employment for young engineers according to the European and International Standards
Providing assistance to its members who are interested in practicing the engineering profession abroad, as well as to foreign entities requesting information on the professional rights of Greek engineers and/or on technical issues
Publishing on its website all Contest Notices and enhancing, thus, indirectly, engineers employment prospects
Issuing to its members certificates of confirmation for multiple uses (for example tenders)
Checking the authenticity of the certificates of studies, safeguarding, by this way, the authority of its members and the engineering profession generallyRetaining correspondence with its Members
In addition to these, the TCG is the voice of engineers by representing the engineering branch at local, national and international level. In this regard, it gives experts opinion, either on its own initiative or upon request of the authorities, on Bills introduced in Parliament, regarding insurance, employment and professional matters related to the engineers.
It also cooperates with trade and labour unions of Engineers, as well as with other legal entities representing the scientists, on mapping out policies for the benefit of its members and of the state.
Furthermore, TCG representatives at European and International Engineering Associations do their best to defend the interests of the TCG members and of the State.
The TCG shows great commitment to ensuring the high quality and excellence in services provided by its members. Asymmetric information which arises by the knowledge gap amongst the engineers providers of technical services and the costumers- consumers of technical services explains the need for establishing a robust framework for ensuring consumer protection. This is the reason why it has drawn up a Code of Ethics by which all the members must abide. Moreover, it has developed rigorous mechanisms to handle consumers complaints regarding the professional misconduct of its members.
In this context, the TCG can order experts evaluations on technical issues falling within its competence and within the expertise of its Members. Furthermore, the TCG has set up an arbitration system for the out-of-court resolution of technical disputes. In addition, the TCG is empowered to exercise disciplinary action.
The Technical Chamber of Greece, Technical Advisor to the Hellenic State and representative body of all Greek Qualified Engineers, implemented the building permit electronic issuance system, which allows the electronic submission of permit requests-applications and relevant documentation- by the builders architect/ engineer as well as the internal management control and approval of applications by Building Service staff and the immediate notification of the applying engineer.
This is the first interactive system of its kind in Greece, allowing the Engineers and the Public Administration staff to be linked in real-time.It was introduced based on the provisions of L.4030 / 2011 governing the procedure for issuing ‘planning permission’ and is an implementation workflow tool with the following features:
The system accepts applications for permits and all required documentation, including technical studies, in electronic form.
The application is submitted to the appropriate Building Service Office according to the geographical location of the construction site for which permit is requested. Building Service staff members check and record their observations electronically and the applying engineer and citizen/ owner are notified in real time.
The permit is issued on the applications obtaining all required approvals, given the technical studies and additional documentations completeness.
The entire check process, history of changes and filing are kept electronically and are made available to the engineer, the owner, the competent Building Service Office and the Ministry of Environment & Energy.
The system also includes a building inspection request capability for the different stages of construction. The request is entered by the supervising engineer and the auditor in charge is drawn randomly, according to the location of the property. The process and the audit findings are available directly to the Building Services and the Ministry of Environment & Energy.
Particular attention has been paid to the future provision for forwarding requests to other Agencies and Authorities, not related to Building Services, in order to facilitate searches and obtaining additional approvals where required.
The system has been tested by engineers and Services Building administrators, in several parts of the country, and has-so far- received excellent response. The Technical Chamber of Greece also created a nationwide network of engineers to support the Building Service administrators, at the initial stages of the systems operation.The use of the e-permit system will limit unnecessary bureaucracy thus responding to requests of Greek Engineers, who for years have been overwhelmed with inefficient and time-consuming procedures when applying for building permits. It will equally free public administrators time so that they can concentrate on the essence of their work to better serve the citizen.
Engineer’s Legal Manual – Legislation and Engineering Regulations a digital Law LibraryAn important new initiative of the Technical Chamber of Greece a practical tool for the practicing Engineer.