The city of Pézenas received the visit of Mr. Marcel Schipman, AFAQ AFNOR auditor, on February 21 and 22, to evaluate its level of commitment compared to the Qualicities® referent document.
During one and a half days, the auditor, accompanied by the local coordinator of the quality approach, met various actors of the daily progress of the city towards a sustainable and quality
approach. A quick visit of the city also enabled the auditor to have an idea of the local reality.
More information about QUalicities approach and label on : www.qualicities.org
Shumen (in Bulgarian:
Шумен) is a city located in the northeastern part of Bulgaria. It has some 100 000 souls and is the capital city of the province of Shumen.
One can discover there the remaining of the Thraces' sites dating from the 4th century AD to the 14th century. Under the Turkish yoke, Shumen was a remarkable military fortress and its Tomboul
mosque built in 1744 is still the largest of the Balkan region.
One can also visit the district of the pretty houses of the Bulgarian Rebirth. During the 19th century Shumen was the most important center for culture in the area. In 1856, were built the first
theater and the first orchestra!
Shumen is also known by its brewery (the oldest in Bulgaria) and the lovely Kechkove park.
In 1981 for the jubilee of the foundation of the Bulgarian State in 681 a very imposing monument was built. It is drawn up on the Iltochov Bair hill and dominates the city by its lion, the symbol
of Bulgaria.
This conformity has been previously checked by an independent auditor appointed by the organism of control AFAQ-AFNOR. It will be re checked again every 18 months.
This award ceremony was followed the next day by a European round table
organized by the French ministry for Culture and Communication, the AVEC' President, Christian Mourisard, and the general delegate, Raphaël Souchier, on how to deal with sustainable development
dilemmas in today's Europe.
On December 16th, was held the administrative council of the network in Anderlecht, Belgium.
Paris - Heritage and sustainable development
On Thursday December 7, the French ministry of culture and communication organizes a national meeting on "Sustainable Development and culture", intended for architects and heritage
responsible in the cities and territories of art and history.
The AVEC' general delegate, Raphael Souchier will present the quality approach and the project of European label "Qualicities", to support the setting up of local policies of sustainable
development by the historical cities and territories in Europe. Qualicities is developed by 15 member cities of the network in 8 countries, with the financial support of the EU and the technical
support of AFNOR. It will be opened to any city interested by the approach after its finalization, in the 2° six-month period 2007.
www.qualicities.org
