Announcement - Next steps after the AMBM on 5 September
6 September 2025
Thank you to everybody who attended and participated in the extended EAA AMBM on 5 September, which included the AOB centred on Israel/Gaza where the aim of the Executive Board (ExB) was to listen to as many Members’ views as possible. We apologise if that was not clear to anyone and accept responsibility for any lack of clarity. As per our normal practice, the meeting minutes, accompanied by the recording, will be shared to all Members when the invitation to per rollam voting is issued on 15 September.
The recording that will be shared will exclude chat, as is Zoom practice. If you spoke and wish to be excluded from the circulated recording, please advise helpdesk@e-a-a.org by return. We have downloaded all the meeting’s chat and all of the comments received. Future use of this chat must respect privacy and data protection. We thank our four colleagues for monitoring the chat.
We do apologise if we cannot provide individual responses to emails sent to the ExB and Secretariat in which you provide your views and suggestions. These and all the AMBM feedback will inform the ExB as it devises and outlines a future direction of travel for endorsement in the per rollam voting. All correspondence received will be considered and responses will in due course be circulated to the membership collectively.
Our online Annual Survey will be issued later, offering a further opportunity for feedback.
Going forward, the EAA must design a larger project, in which we revisit the nature of politics and political activism with regards to the EAA Statutes, spirit and ethos. We must critically reflect on the EAA internal practices. The ExB will be working with the Nomination Committee, Advisory Committee, and others. We further ask for your necessary patience as we deal with this crucially significant situation. All of us volunteer our time and a big task is ahead of us.
Meantime, you can find our existing statement on the Israel/Gaza crisis here .
Belgrade AM Organising committee announcement
3 September 2025
Members of the local Organising Committee of the Belgrade 2025 AM feel obliged to inform the AM delegates and all the EAA members that we were not consulted, nor officially informed of the decisions reached at the meetings of the EAA Executive Board held on August 22nd and September 1st 2025 prior to their official publication. Consequently, we did not endorse the instructions sent to the session organizers and the volunteers on September 2nd. We are well aware that these instructions were revoked in the meantime, but since most of the volunteers are local students, bravely protesting for months and demanding the democratic rights to speak, we consider it particularly inappropriate to assign them the task to assess and/or deny that right to others.
Announcement regarding running of sessions
3 September 2025
The context of this announcement is a call by an anonymous organisation to insert political protests within EAA sessions. We would like to apologise for any confusion and offence our resulting message to session organisers on 2 September may have caused. Please understand that we are currently working in unprecedented and very difficult circumstances.
We are therefore sincerely sorry if anyone has unfortunately gained the impression that they do not have a right to speak. The EAA stands fast for academic freedom and the freedom of speech, and we have never sought to impede anyone’s pre-agreed presentation or discussions on the presentations. But please remember that our sessions are precious places where the participants attend to have their contributions heard and discussed in the full time that is allocated.
Our prime objective is to move forward on all EAA matters in a way that better represents the spirit and ethos of the EAA as enshrined in its Statutes. We trust all session organisers and speakers will exercise due responsibility and respect. We are grateful to everyone for your shared efforts in striving for the common interests of the EAA and our Membership.
Announcement
2 September 2025
At its Belgrade meeting on 1 September, the majority of the Executive Board decided to reverse its earlier decision to remove the affiliations of delegates from Israel. On further reflection, the Board recognised this action had been rushed and misjudged due to lack of sufficient information, and time pressure. We deeply regret any harm to our affected colleagues, with whom we will shortly be in touch.
Our prime objective is to move forward on all EAA matters in a way that better represents the spirit and ethos of the EAA as enshrined in its Statutes: to eliminate political actions, which includes collective punishment. The Board seeks to develop a long-term strategy, a plan that focuses on how to be productive within the remit of the EAA, and this process needs some time. The Membership will have the opportunity to comment and endorse it in due course.
Detailed Programme
1 August 2025
Abstract & Programme Book
We are pleased to announce that the Programme and Abstract Book for the 31st Belgrade Virtual Annual Meeting has now been published and can be downloaded through here (alternatively, navigate to Programme > Scientific Programme).
Last Call for Edits
- If you need to make updates to your session or contribution (e.g. affiliation changes, etc.), please let us know by 14 August. Please note that major changes to the programme are no longer possible at this stage.
- No changes to the Programme/Abstract Book or session details in the app/web platform will be possible after the specified date.
- We make every effort to ensure the political correctness of submissions. However, if you have concerns about the content, please contact us at helpdesk@e-a-a.org by 14 August to raise a particular issue for further evaluation.
Scientific Programme
27 June 2025
We are pleased to announce that the scientific programme for the 31st Belgrade Virtual Annual Meeting has now been published and can be downloaded through here (alternatively, navigate to Programme > Scientific Programme).
Important Updates
5 May 2025
Adjusted Registration Fees
Following the recent move to an online-only format, the registration fees for the EAA 2025 Annual Meeting have been reduced accordingly. The new registration fees can be found under Registration Policy & Fees.
Conference Registration
Registration for the online event is now open. The new deadline for first authors of contributions and session speakers to pay membership and registration fees is 26 May.
Refunds
Members who already registered received an email with refund instructions on 23 April (subject line “EAA 2025 | Registration & refund process”).
Academic Programme Extension
The academic programme will be extended to five days instead of the usual three. Sessions will therefore run from Tuesday, 2 September to Saturday, 6 September. These adjustments aim to reduce session and author overlaps, and thus improve the overall experience.
Transition to Online Format
1 April 2025
With great sorrow, the Organising Committee of EAA 2025 Belgrade Annual Meeting and the EAA Executive Board regretfully inform you that the Annual Meeting will take place virtually only, using a suitable online platform.
The reason for this hard decision is the uncertainty surrounding the development of the current political situation in Serbia. The authorities' recent response to peaceful student and citizen protests compromised the autonomy of universities and increased the pressure upon both teachers and students. While we support the ongoing democratic movement in Serbia, we cannot predict the impact and the outcome of the current events and therefore cannot confidently plan the Annual Meeting logistics, or adequate measures for your safety.
This decision in no way diminishes the EAA’s support and appreciation for Serbian archaeology and our Serbian colleagues. The Belgrade Organising Committee and EAA Executive Board remain devoted to our joint aim of holding a successful and productive Belgrade Annual Meeting. We share your disappointment and are working hard to put alternative arrangements in place as soon as possible, and to communicate these to you.
The Belgrade Organising Committee and EAA staff are currently addressing the practical ramifications of this change and will communicate updates to presenters, delegates, and EAA Members as soon as possible. We sincerely appreciate your patience as we carefully think through the issues and opportunities that arise from this change.
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