European Crafts Alliance Annual Conference 2025
Positioning Crafts in the Contemporary Economy
Organised by European Crafts Alliance in collaboration with Norwegian Crafts
Where: Litteraturhuset in Oslo, Norway, and online
When: Thursday 4 September, 9:30–13:00
Crafts play a vital role in Europe’s economy and cultural fabric — fueling innovation, sustainability, and local development across regions. They are a serious economic force in Europe. The European Crafts Alliance's annual conference, Positioning Crafts in the Contemporary Economy, explored how the sector fuels innovation, entrepreneurship, and sustainable growth across the EU. The event co-organised by the ECA and Norwegian Crafts, brought together guest speakers from across Europe and nearly 40 members of the ECA.
The programme for 2025 took a practical look at what it means to be a craft professional in the modern economy. The sessions explored the topic from several perspectives, from the real-world business challenges facing the sector to the power of collaboration, new ways of thinking about ‘value’, and the fusion of traditional skills with technology for economic viability.
The opening conversation with Rosa Muñoz (Ohayō) grounded the discussion in these realities, delving into recent ECA studies on market access and business resilience. Representatives from the Nordic Network of Craft Associations shared their successful model for regional collaboration, followed by a presentation from historian Christina Zetterlund challenging traditional metrics by arguing for the importance of craft’s social and cultural capital. The conference also featured a panel with craftspeople, including Kristina Austi (Digital weaving) and Raquel Buj (fashion), who showcased how new technologies can be integrated with traditional skills to create innovative and economically viable work.
The ECA Annual Conference 2025 was part of the CraftsNet project, co-funded by the European Union.