You are warmly welcomed to attend the 25th EAA Annual Membership Business Meeting on Friday 6 September at 17:45 in Hauptgebäude (Main Building), Room No. 210.
Our 25th AMBM agenda follows its usual structure, but I wish to your call attention in two specific issues.
i) We are preparing some important Statutes changes for next year. Some relate to a need to cater for the existence and functions of our EAA Communities and others are presented now by the EAA Executive Board, with the approval of the Statutes Committee. These changes are required to address the sustained growth of EAA membership, now at approx. 2500 members. This growth, in particular, requires some fundamental development of our Statutes in order to make the constituents of EAA more representative.
ii) For the first time, we will present a formal statement to the AMBM to be approved, adopted and released as the EAA 25th Anniversary Declaration. It is my strong feeling, as your President, that EAA must make this sort of Declaration to publicly address specific topics. Such declarations can be prepared to address issues of different kinds, but specifically connected to Archaeology and the special standpoint that EAA adopts in defense of the social and scientific relevance of our profession. The declarations can range from general statements of policy to more specific issues related to methodological or technical questions. It will strengthen and promote EAA’s visibility and social presence.
In this 25th anniversary year we reflect on the European context in which EAA arose in 1994 and assess the current transformations within the European ‘arena’. These include some very worrying developments not only for Archaeology but for the future of the basics of the European values. Accordingly, we have devoted this first important statement to “
Archaeology and the future of Democracy”. It was extensively discussed and carefully crafted by a committed Task Force and the Executive Board with the intention of saying something significant, but in common with the very different sensibilities and fields of experience of our diverse membership. It is our wish that it will represent a shared awareness of our EAA members. We therefore hope for and look forward to its adoption by members at the AMBM. I would like to personally acknowledge and pay gratitude to the group of members who worked so hard to prepare, adjust and agree on this final draft.
Felipe Criado-Boado
President