Moves are being made in Europe to create \'Masters\' standards for craft trades, including stonemasonry.

J¸rgen Prigl, head of the cathedral building \'lodge\' of St Maria zur Wiese in Soest, Germany, and the master tradesmen school there, initiated a meeting of stonemasons in 1998 to discuss how the trade could use the unification of Europe to best advantage, especially with regards to vocational training.

Now he has proposed the idea of a Masters degree in craft that is equivalent to a Masters in art or science and standardised across the European Union.