Inside EICF From Corpus Naviculariorum to the UIA,


or the Importance of Associations in Civil Society Advancement By Carlos Olabe, EICF Executive Director


will probably help bring to focus the answers to: why, what for and for whom… Working in the Association world is fundamentally a service task but with a main aim, the collective advancement of the reference group, which in our case is the investment casting industry. The origin of collective effort in the defence of interests of a certain group can be traced back to ancient Rome and before. These groups used to be known as collegium, collegia or corpus. Traditionally there were groups of merchants specialising in a certain craft and whose membership of the group was voluntary. A good example was the Corpus Naviculariorum, a collegium of merchant mariners based at Ostia, Rome’s port. Those groups


I evolved through


the Middle Ages with names such as confraternities, guilds etc., concerned with technology and professional development; an example of those was the defined periods of apprenticeship before becoming a craftsman. Clearly the evolution of the modern times, abolished some of the privileges retained by such organisations, as the regulations established by laws and the political structures gave way to more open free trade, technological innovation and patent and copyright protections, facilitating business development and overcoming some of the restrictions and limitations imposed by the guilds system.


Modern associations are aiming


to support the development of their members in satisfying society needs, promoting a community of competitive industry. Among the Associations’ duties are to ensure that legislation and policies are user oriented for


12 ❘ July 2021 ®


t is always good to question the origin of things and the rationale for


their implementation as it


members, that legislators establish a balanced outcome when producing laws concerning technology and its possibilities and, therefore, a constant dialogue must be open with the legislator and governmental structures. Further areas of interest for Associations are concern for the overall technology advance and the professional development of the individuals working for the sector in question; to provide information on the overall market evolution and trends, within their different segments; to promote health and safety best practices in the industry, and to provide a community forum for networking to take place.


But this mission for an International Association like the EICF goes beyond their own boundaries, as the industry the EICF represents is just an element of European society and needs to be linked with other elements. In Europe, Brussels is the cradle of the Union of International Associations UIA which was founded in 1907 by two Belgians, Henri La Fontaine (1913 Nobel Peace Prize laureate) and Paul Otlet. They wanted to bring together all international associations as a unified force. Since its foundation, the UIA has focused on documenting the nature


and evolution of international civil society. UIA is a non-profit, independent


research institute, a repository for current and historical information on the work of international associations, documenting the work of International Nongovernmental Organizations (INGOs) and Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs) and promoting the public awareness of their activities. The EICF has been recently included in the


Yearbook of


International Organizations (the most comprehensive source of information on the c.73,000 international non- profit organisations and associations worldwide, in all fields of human endeavour, and throughout centuries of history). In addition, the UIA has confirmed


that the candidacy of EICF Executive Director, Carlos Olabe as an Active Member of the UIA has been accepted by the General Assembly on 22 June 2021.


UIA collects, hosts and provides up- to-date, reliable information on global civil society and maintains the most comprehensive source of information on international


associations, their


activities and concerns, and their meetings activities.


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