CRAFTOUR: ARTISAN IN FOCUS

Three Actions by CRAFTOUR to Present Policy Recommendations for the Revitalisation of European Crafts

To strengthen the recognition, support, and transmission of European crafts, CRAFTOUR is advancing its bottom-up, research-driven policy dialogue at European level. This work began with a Policy Round Table at the European Commission in Brussels on 10 December 2025 and continues through two upcoming actions:

Scientific Conference at the University of Antwerp (29 January 2026), and
General Conference at the European Parliament in Brussels (30 January 2026).

Together, these three actions translate the opportunities and needs of the craft sector into concrete, evidence-based policy recommendations by engaging diverse audiences and placing artisans at the focus of these dialogues.

1: POLICY ROUND TABLE – European Commission, Brussels, December 10th, 2025

Four European research projects — CRAEFT, Hephaestus, Tracks4Crafts, and Colours4Crafts — all members of the wider CRAFTOUR Initiative, met with European institutions to address an urgent gap in European policy: the full recognition and revitalisation of crafts as an economic sector and dynamic ecosystem.

Representatives Madina Benvenuti and Regina Garcia Nuñez (Mad’in Europe / CRAEFT), Fabrizio Panozzo (Università Ca’ Foscari / Hephaestus), Julie de Groot and Bert de Munck (University of Antwerp / Tracks4Crafts), and Riikka Räisänen (University of Helsinki / Colours4Crafts) presented recommendations to members of DG EAC, DG MOVE, DG RTD, Creative Europe, and UNESCO, structured around four core objectives:

Understanding, valorising, and documenting European crafts through reinforced statistical knowledge,
Safeguarding and promoting authenticity in European crafts,
Empowering transmission of skills and know-how through formal and non-formal education, and
Reinforcing viable business models within the European craft sector.

Participants of the CRAFTOUR Policy Round Table in the European Commission on the 10th of December 2025.

The round table was followed by a lively discussion with onsite and online participants. The debate highlighted the transversal relevance of crafts across EU policies — from green and energy transitions to trade, circular economy, heritage, health and safety, and tourism. Participants raised critical questions such as:

“Do we really want PVC windows in our castles?”

Full policy recommendations

2: SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE, University of Antwerp,

January 29th, 2026

The Scientific Conference will bring together leading researchers, academics, and practitioners for a full day of reflection, debate, and knowledge exchange. Following the opening session and a keynote by Prof. Gunnar Almevik (University of Göteborg), the programme unfolds through three roundtables:

Roundtable 1 : Histories of value(s) and the governance of culture

Roundtable 2 : Digital imaginaries and crafts in transition

Roundtable 3 : Organisational transformation and resilience

Agenda and the speakers

3: GENERAL CONFERENCE, European Parliament, Brussels, January 30th, 2026

Opened by MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, the Conference will call for crafts to be fully integrated into European policy, highlighting their role across other key sectors and their value for heritage, local identity, SMEs, and sustainable innovation. It will conclude with a shared vision for a European Crafts Renaissance and concrete policy recommendations.