The full document can be accessed and downloaded here in PDF format.

Background

The first edition of a European Quality Vision was published in January 2000. As was stated in the foreword then, the initiative to define a Vision for Quality in Europe through this project arose from a confluence of needs and circumstances.

For some time the quality movement in Europe, and in particular the national quality associations, have been attempting to define their role in the context of rapidly changing quality concepts.

The EOQ (the European Organization for Quality) itself was anxious to act as a catalyst, and sought to create mechanisms including a new Charter and a platform for all organisations, both public and private, to encourage dialogue, exchange ideas and experiences, and to develop the new approaches for the Europe of the new Millennium.

The ministers with responsibility for public service in the EU formally decided at their meeting in Vienna in November 1998 to develop a programme of actions to promote quality in the public service.

A number of initiatives have taken place since then. These have included a major colloquium to enhance sharing of best practice, special working groups on performance comparisons at European level, and the introduction of a self-assessment based instrument which allows the public servants to assess the quality of their work and its results.

It was in this context that the exploratory working group for the European Quality Vision was established in 1999 with the support of the Finnish Presidency.
Thus was born the concept of a Vision for Quality in Europe.

In his introduction to the element on Winning Together in Section 3 of this document, Antonio Silva Mendes gives further grounds for the need for the Vision. "As we enter this millennium, the European economy is facing a totally new business environment under the twin impulses of globalisation and technological progress. This calls for a new attitude from the different partners.

The economic operators need to improve their managerial capacity, and the public administrations should facilitate the creation of an environment favourable to supporting a sustainable development of society.

The main goal, for all partners, must be the improving of competitiveness as an essential means of generating rising standards of living for the population as a whole, whilst operating on markets open to international competition. In doing this, society will be promoting economic growth, creating jobs, strengthening economic and social cohesion, and ensuring environmental protection."

The Vision Document sets out a unique insight into the background to the evolution of quality in Europe as it relates to other parts of the world, but more importantly has defined for the first time the elements of a Vision for the future of Quality throughout an evolving Europe.

Since the publication of the first version of the Vision Document in January 2000, the development and dialogue, which commenced then, has continued throughout the year, with a broad range of activities and reactions to the first publication.