Invitation

Good afternoon,

I am pleased to invite you to the CRAFTOUR General Conference, a high-level policy event dedicated to the role of crafts and craft-based SMEs as drivers of European competitiveness, employment and territorial development. The conference, organised by Mad’in Europe on behalf of its European partners, will take place on 30 January at the European Parliament in Brussels (with both in-person and online participation).

The conference will be opened by Ms Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, Member of the European Parliament, reflecting the growing political recognition of crafts within European debates on competitiveness, skills, innovation, regional development and cultural heritage.
The event will be introduced by Ms Katja Reppel, (REA), and conclusions will be delivered by Ms Kristien Van Goey, (DG RTD).

Building on the presentation, in December, of CRAFTOUR’s first policy recommendations to the European Commission, the conference will focus on the economic contribution of crafts to Europe’s strategic priorities. Discussions will highlight how craft-based SMEs and micro-enterprises contribute to quality employment, entrepreneurship, resilient local and regional economies, and high value-added production, while supporting innovation, sustainability and skills renewal.

The conference will also address the interconnections between crafts and key economic sectors, including heritage conservation and historic buildings, tourism, design, fashion and luxury, as well as creative industries, with particular attention to skills transmission, workforce renewal and territorial cohesion.

Participants include representatives from European and international organisations, national institutions, research and education bodies, and craft enterprises. Importantly, the conference will give the floor directly to craft professionals, ensuring that policy discussions are firmly grounded in bottom-up perspectives, market realities and operational experience.

Dedicated Q&A sessions will support direct exchange between policymakers, practitioners and stakeholders.

The discussions will build on CRAFTOUR’s policy recommendations, which call for:

• stronger European frameworks to understand, monitor, measure and valorise crafts.

• reinforced transmission of skills and know-how, across formal and non-formal pathways.

• safeguarding and awareness of authenticity and living heritage.

• support for innovative and sustainable business models for craft SMEs.

On 30 January, these recommendations will be updated and strengthened, integrating feedback from practitioners and stakeholders and reaffirming the need to anchor European policies in the economic and territorial realities of the craft sector.

We would be honoured by your participation in this discussion on crafts as a strategic asset for Europe’s competitiveness, employment and sustainable territorial development.

Yours sincerely,

Registration is mandatory to attend both in presence or online and must be completed by 26 January. The full agenda and registration form are available at this link.

For online attendance, the link will be communicated the day before the conference on the same link.

Madina Benvenuti _ Managing Director  Tel : +32 475 83 74 88

Madineurope.eu the portal of cultural heritage professionals

Member of CRAFTOUR