Looking forward: future priorities for the EAC
2026 call to action!
In 2026, the EAC is addressing four priorities identified by its members as part of the Looking Forward initiative. More details can be found by following the links below.
We need your help to shape these topics further and create helpful outputs for our entire membership.
Contact us to find out more, offer your ideas and assistance or ask questions by emailing the Assistant.
Heritage crime
Heritage crime is a common concern for EAC members, but there are sharp differences in the prevalence of different types of heritage crime and thus concerns across Europe.
The 2026 Heritage Symposium in Altamira began to explore this topic. The Proceedings will will be published in 2027, and follow up actions will be considered.
Citizen science and public benefit
The Brussels survey showed that many EAC members are interested in developing methods for better enabling public participation in heritage management processes and promoting its benefits.
The EAC has published guidance on related topics, but it is clear there is more to be done. Members with an interest in this topic are encouraged to contact the EAC!
Landscape management and spatial planning
Many EAC members are concerned that archaeology increasingly finds itself as one of a number of competing or complementary priorities during broader decision-making processes.
The EAA/ EAC working group on Farming, Forestry and Rural Land Management is hosting a session at EAA2026 in Athens (#94) 'Land-use Change (LUC) and archaeological heritage: Key concepts and considerations; working towards guidelines for best practice' to explore next steps.
Climate change and sector sustainability
Concerns of EAC members fall into two related areas: the impact of climate change, and its mitigation measures, on the archaeological record; and environmental sustainability in archaeological working practices.
These are pressing topics, and further work is needed to define what effective EAC work can be done to address them. Members with an interest in these topics are encouraged to contact the EAC!
Gdańsk workshops 2025
During the 2025 Annual Meeting in Gdańsk participants were invited to think once again, and in greater depth, about the themes proposed in Brussels (see below) – about how the EAC can respond to the needs of archaeological heritage management in the coming years.
The workshop sessions were divided into four topics, chaired by a moderator, and they allowed EAC members and colleagues to discuss the topics freely and help the EAC shape its activities to address its members’ priorities in the coming years.
The technical report from workshops is now available online, and shorter summaries are now published as part of the Symposium Proceedings.
Brussels survey 2024
At the General Assembly in Brussels on 21 March 2024, the EAC celebrated its 25th anniversary by looking forward. The EAC Board invited members to share their priorities in the context of the Valletta and Faro Conventions, to guide future EAC activities. The results of the survey created a clear list of the priorities and challenges that EAC members would like the EAC to help them address in the coming years.
Making Choices 2017-2026
The European Archaeological Council was formed in 1999 to support the management of Archaeological Heritage throughout Europe. In 2015, the EAC published the Amersfoort Agenda, its response to addressing the challenges laid out in the Valletta Convention. The first major theme was embedding archaeology in society, encouraging public participation and integrating archaeology into education. The second theme was the importance of conscious, explicit and transparent choices in archaeological heritage management. The third theme was archaeological data management in the digital age.
The Making Choices initiative undertook a survey of EAC members in 2017 to identify areas where EAC guidance and support was most needed. Following this, the working groups developed a range of guidance, which was published between 2024-2026.