Europan, an international NGO and a federation of national Europan organisations was established in Paris in 1988. A desire to exchange the ideas and promote co-operation in the field of architecture and urbanism across the Europe was accomplished through international architectural competitions followed by building projects intended exclusively for the young architects under 40 years of age. From 1988, Europan has managed six competitions, each on a given theme, with common rules and objectives, and with the emphasis on the housing architecture. The newest session, Europan 7 will be launched in January 2003 simultaneously in 23 countries*. Each national organisation of Europan is responsible for the management of the competition and implementation of the results in its own country, while the General Secretariat situated in Paris acts as a coordinator.

Besides the General Secretariat Europan has three more joint bodies: Executive Committee consisting of the presidents of national organisations, General Assembly consisting of four representatives from each national organisation and Scientific Committee consisting of independent experts in charge of proposals of the sessions' themes and theoretical analysis of the sites and the results. National organisations are organised according the regulations in the country in question. EUROPAN Croatia is registered as a non-governmental organisation situated in Zagreb.

In 14 years of existence Europan has grew into a well-known and prominent organisation. Europan sessions, events and publications serve as a framework that gives the young architects an opportunity to assert themselves at international architectural scene. Also, for the cities involved, it is a chance to benefit from the internationalisation of their urban problems. Europan working tables, seminars, forums and other events that are accompanying the competition, furthermore, serve as an excellent platform for theoretical debates and interchange of views between architects, developers, experts, public servants and general public thus promoting urban and architectural culture in general.

Visit Europan Europe web site: http://www.europan-europe.com