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LINKING PEOPLE, JOINING NATIONS

between the two organisations was founded primarily on the fact that IIW would financially

benefit from the use of EWF documentation and that this would be unreasonable from

EWF’s point of view. A compromise, therefore, was reached that IIW’s role in the scheme

would be established in a similar way to that of EWF, whereby IIWANBs would pay a fixed

fee plus a variable fee based on the sale of diplomas.

To ensure no dispute could arise, IIW then drafted a resolution saying

that it did not intend to receive income in excess of its costs for the operation

of its scheme. Therefore, any fees paid to IIW by IIW ANBs should only

amount to IIW’s administration costs.

14

This resolution was subsequently

passed by the Governing Council. Prof. Dr-Ing. Detlef von Hofe (Germany),

who often acted as a ‘peacemaker’ in discussions between IIW and EWF,

responded by saying that since IIW was not making any profit from the

scheme, recognition by IIW of the EWF ANBs, without audit,

would be considered fair compensation.

15

For some time

the IIW ANBs outside of Europe paid a fixed fee of

5 000 euro (EUR) whereas European EWF and IIW

ANBs paid a fixed fee of EUR 3 000

Further discussion did continue with IIW and the CEO

of EWF, Prof. Dr-Ing. Luisa Quintino, and the President of EWF

Mr Van den Brug. A formal agreement, in principle, was then

signed at theAnnual Assembly in San Francisco, USA in 1997

to develop an international scheme based on the EWF system.

This formal agreement which eventuated between EWF and

IIW was aimed at allowing cooperation for the delivery of

this scheme, both in Europe and worldwide, leading to a single unified

system. In doing so, EWF would also have the right to deliver IIW

diplomas to IIWmembers and to new members in its current sphere

of activity in Europe since some countries, not yet members of

IIW, had already accredited their ANBs through EWF. There

was to be no payment of royalties and IIW would eventually be

privy to confidential documentation through a licence agreement

which commenced in 1999. Preliminary work to establish IIW’s

IAB then continued with an agreement for Instituto de Soldadura

e Qualidade (ISQ) in Portugal to act as the IIW IAB Secretariat,

which was convenient for both partners because ISQ was

already acting as the Secretariat for the EWF scheme. Mrs Rute

Ferraz was appointed as Chief Executive Officer for the IAB

Secretariat and continues to successfully undertake that role.

Detlef von Hofe

Luisa Quintino