The European Crafts Alliance (ECA) is an independent network of 38 member organizations from 23 European countries. Together the network represent the crafts sector by connecting crafts organizations on the European level, advocating for the crafts sector, empowering the craftspeople that drive it, as well as ensuring that crafts are positioned as an essential part of Europe’s economy and innovation and heritage landscape.

ECA's activities include:

• advocacy
• facilitation
• collaboration
• education

ECA supports its members and partners in promoting, growing, and preserving crafts as a vital part of the European economy and culture and as a driver of sustainability and innovation.

ECA's efforts continue to be centered on making a concrete difference to the crafts sector and craftspeople.

In the last two years, the network has:

• facilitated 2 ground-breaking surveys of the European crafts sector; The European market for craft; Analysis of the resilience of the craft sector
• provided financial support to over 50 training and networking activities for our members,
• facilitated advocacy initiatives across Europe and organised educational activities for over 200 craftspeople, two of which included concrete business training for crafts enterprises.
• hosted keynote events and financially and organizationally assisted different activities, from exhibitions to presentations, and more, including over 100 events as part of the European Artistic Crafts Days.

As part of four EU co-funded projects, ECA can actively continue to contribute to the sector’s growth and innovation.

These initiatives include:

• CraftsNet, a Creative Europe co-funded project we are coordinating, set to launch in May,
• Tracks4Crafts, an ongoing EU Horizon-funded project exploring ways to transform traditional craft knowledge for the future,
• Make-a-tech, a EU Horizon-funded project kicking off in February, and
• Reskilling Crafts an upcoming EU Erasmus-funded project, testing a new model of inclusive reskilling labs to boost the digital and sustainable future of the Craft Sector starting in the coming months.

For more information please see the European Craft Alliance website.

ECA's current board of directors

• Nicky Dewar – Crafts Council, UK
• Ana Cristina Mendes – CEARTE – Professional Training Center for Crafts and Heritage, Portugal
• Elton Micallef – Malta Crafts Foundation, Malta
• Marion Poortvliet – Crafts Council Nederland, Netherlands
• David Places Balsalobre – CCAM - The Consortium of Commerce, Crafts and Fashion of Catalonia, Spain
  

ECA Secretariat

• Laura Miguel Baumann – Secretary General
• Julie Huckle – Administration
• Ana Kuntarič Brodersen – Communications