From 24 to 27 September 2025 have been held the Conference “Creating European Networks in the Archaeology Professional”. For the first time in history, the National Archaeological Museum of Spain (MAN) hosted a conference where they talked only of the conditions, professional, labour and social affairs of the preventive archaeology in Europe. In these days has been the culmination of a project begun in 2024, with a goal as ambitious as it is necessary to: articulate a network of collaboration between archaeologists and archaeologists preventive of the European Union, to strengthen their social recognition and job, and to move towards a stable regulation of the profession.
On the 24th of September was held in the Archaeological Museum and Palaeontology of the Community of Madrid in a pre-meeting with a technical nature between the various european associations that have participated. The aim was to give the last strokes to the basic text as agreed by the European Manifesto for the Preventive Archaeology and its Professional Recognition
On 25 and 26 September in the MAN, was a culminating moment, after months of technical meetings and working together. They spoke of the subjects already known but who do not yet have a boarding from the group and from the institutions: uncertainty, disconnection institutional, lack of legal and social recognition. of The encounter, in addition, had a symbolic value added: to bring together under one roof representatives of professional associations in Spain, Portugal, France, Italy and Germany, with eyes set on taking a leap towards Europe.
The first day: a diagnosis shared.
Thursday, September 25, opened the day with a few words of welcome of Elizabeth Left, director of the MAN, along with representatives of the PEPA. Was stressed from the beginning that these days were not a starting point, but a point of arrival: the close of a project that had travelled several cities and had been weaving a network of conversations, diagnoses and proposals.
The first big block, titled “Preventive Archaeology-Administration-University: the needs of the sector”, he placed on the table an issue that would resound throughout the meeting: the disconnect between those who investigate, those who manage and those who work in the field.
- From the administration, Marta Arches and Pablo Garrido highlighted the difficulty of harmonizing criteria in a country with powers decentralized and regulations are different.
- From the university, Jaime Almansa and Pilar Diarte pointed out that academic research needs to dialogue with the professional practice, and that the preventive archaeology is a privileged space for it.
- From the profession, the PEPA stressed that the preventive archaeology can no longer be perceived as a work of “minor”, a subordinate of academic research or to the bureaucratic management, when in fact holds good part of the archaeological knowledge current.
The debate was alive: he spoke of the lack of coordination, delays generated by administrative confusion and the need to create stable channels of communication between institutions. The conclusion shared was clear: without a framework that connects university, management, and professional, the archaeology will remain fragmented.
After the pause, the conversation turned to a subject even more delicate: the labor rights of the workers of the preventive archaeology. Intervened advisers of the ministries of Labour, Inclusion, and Culture, which explained the steps taken in the implementation of the Status of the Artist in Spain and the possibilities of extending its logic to the european level. The message was hopeful: there are legal tools to improve the conditions of archaeologists and archaeologists, but for that to take effect it is necessary that the profession is organized, recognized, and visibilizada.
The afternoon brought on a panel of inspiring: “professional Recognition: how to have achieved it?”. The representatives of other cultural sectors —restorative, translators, illustrators, scenic artists— told in the first person the long journey to get the State to recognize its activity, through a specific section in the National Classification of Economic Activities (CNAE). That recognition, they explained, is not just a formality: it opens the door to official statistics, access to assistance, coverage in the field of occupational health and a more stable career. , The lesson was clear: the regulation comes at a time when groups are organized and press on a sustained basis.
The second day: commitments and european construction.
Friday 26 kicked off with a session key: “Towards professional recognition. Next stop: the National Plan of Archaeology”. In the table, attended by representatives of the various autonomous communities, which detailed their regulatory frameworks, the figures enabled to intervene in heritage and the practical problems of coordination. The territorial fragmentation appeared as an obstacle recurrent, but also as an opportunity: the National Plan can serve as an umbrella common to harmonize criteria, and to ensure that the access to the profession is not dependent on the arbitrary local.
But the big moment came mid-morning. Under the title “Towards a european network of Archaeology Professional”, was held the signing of the Manifesto for the Archaeology Healthcare in Europe,. The scene was sober, but full of symbolism: representatives of the PEPA (Spain), FEMAP (France), CIA (Italy), STARQ (Portugal) and CIfA Deutschland signed the document that gives life to the European Network of Preventive Archaeology.
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The interventions that followed the signing were brief, but strong. They spoke of a precarious shared —because the preventive archaeology suffers similar conditions in all countries— the need to learn the progress of others and of the conviction that only a common voice and you can place the archaeology in the cultural agenda and european policy. As pointed out by one of the speakers: “Our problems don’t end at the border, and our solutions, they should not do so”.
The evening closed with a dialogue between Xavier Roigé and Eva Moraga which served as a reflection of the whole. Roigé shared the conclusions of the european project CHARTER, who has been diagnosed with the huge dispersion of the sector of heritage in Europe and the urgency of strengthening common competencies. Moraga, for his part, explained the progress made with the Status of the Artist, and how this can serve as a reference for archaeologists. Both agreed that without frames industrial solids, the cultural heritage is not protected effectively because those who guard the lack of stability and recognition.
The third day: open the archaeology of citizenship
Saturday 27 changed the tone of the conference. The technical sessions were to give way to “Archaeology in the family”, a proposal designed for children and adults to come to the discipline from the curiosity and practical experience. Workshops —from become “detectives of the past” in a laboratory to experiment with the ancient writing on clay tablets and bird feathers— generated a participatory environment, and close.
Beyond the fun aspect, the day was a clear message: the preventive archaeology is not just a matter of specialists, but rather a tool to connect to the society with his heritage. When you open the MAN to the families, was a direct bridge between professionals and citizens, recalling that the legitimacy of the discipline is also dependent on your ability to get people involved in the care of his past.
The best defense of our profession will not make the professionals, but those who learn to love the archaeology and what it means for your knowledge and your identity. We are aware of that need and that is why we have taken advantage of this project and the last day to get closer to the company once more, and even though it is of a modest form.
A foregone conclusion
At the end of the workshop, it became clear that the archaeology european professional goes through a decisive moment. The problems are well —known instability, fragmentation, lack of regulation, but also what is the will of addressing them collectively. The creation of the European Network of Preventive Archaeology is, in this sense, much more than a symbolic gesture: it is a tool that can transform diagnostic strategies, isolated experiences in shared policies, and precariousness in recognition.
The National Archaeological Museum was witness to a historic moment. Now, as stressed by several participants, it begins the most difficult: to convert the manifest in concrete actions that dignifiquen the profession and the closer to the society.