Professional ethics : the European code of conduct
Plimmer, Frances
The European Commission has encouraged all professions to develop a Code of Conduct as a device for enhancing the quality of services in the Internal Market. As a result, the Council of European Geodetic Surveyors, the Comitt de Liaison des GGommtres Europpen (CLGE) has developed a Code of Conduct for European Surveyors. Yet, there is no clear definition of what surveyingg means within Europe. Some countries include skills in their surveying profession which other countries exclude. Methods of achieving professional qualifications differ, as does the need for licensing or registration. Yet we are all very clear about the need for a high ethical behaviour to both underpin our work, and to be seen to do so. Ethics, however, is not merely a professional standard. It is both personal and cultural and, in a professional context, includes both the ethics of an employer organisation and that of the professional association to which the individual professional belongs. There is evidence that both employer organisations and professional associations have articulated ethical standards which are required of their professional employees. Do these various ethical standards work in harmony as a virtuous circle each reinforcing the other? What is the role of the professional bodies in establishing an ethical culture for their membership?
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