European Confederation of Conservator-Restorers Organisations

17/06/2026

💪 𝐄.𝐂.𝐂.𝐎. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐫 returned yesterday with a hands-on training session dedicated to social media communication for our members, led by Juan Manuel Hegedüs-Gravina, as part of E.C.C.O.’s ongoing work to support its network with practical communication tools.

🖥️ The session focused on building practical skills and communication competences that can support member organisations in becoming more visible, confident and autonomous online.

✨ Beyond the training itself, this Connect Hour reflected the strength of the hashtag : a close and active European network where members do not simply belong, they participate, exchange, support one another, and help raise the visibility of the conservation-restoration profession together. Looking forward to meeting again!

11/06/2026

🏛️ 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲

📢 Today, E.C.C.O. and Encore - European Network for Conservation-Restoration Education, are releasing a landmark joint publication: Specialisations: Trends and Challenges in Conservation-Restoration Education. This is not just another academic document. It is a European benchmark designed to bridge the gap between higher education and the realities of professional practice.

🤝 This joint publication reflects the close cooperation between two European networks working from complementary perspectives: professional practice and higher education. Together, we are addressing a crucial question for the sector: how can academic pathways, professional competence and recognition evolve in line with the complex realities of heritage preservation today?

📖 As heritage objects, collections, and sites face unprecedented environmental, technological, and labour-market pressures, specialisation can no longer be seen as a purely curricular matter. It is directly connected to the quality, continuity, and responsibility of conservation-restoration practice across Europe.

🗣️ "Specialisation is no longer just a question of what we teach, but how we prepare professionals for an increasingly complex reality", says Laura Fuster-López, President of ENCoRE.

🗣️ "The safeguarding of cultural heritage relies entirely on the competence of the professionals entrusted with it", adds Elis Marçal, President of E.C.C.O.

💪 We must connect education, professional standards, and sector needs to ensure cultural heritage continues to be preserved by highly qualified experts.

🔗 Read the publication here: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20082082
🔗 Read the joint launch announcement: https://tinyurl.com/v4vtyhyb

09/06/2026

🧩 in action | 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐂𝐨𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔

🇭🇷 Our member, Hrvatsko restauratorsko društvo/CroatianConservation-RestorationAssociation, invites conservator-restorers, researchers, students, educators and heritage professionals to contribute to ConRestCon 2026, taking place on 17 November 2026 at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Zagreb.

✍ Participants may submit proposals for an oral presentation, poster presentation or video presentation, sharing current work, research, case studies, methodologies and professional reflections from across conservation-restoration. Hybrid participation will also be available, supporting wider access for colleagues who cannot attend in person.

📅 The deadline to submit proposals is 15 July 2026. Final materials must be submitted by 2 November 2026, and registration to attend the conference is open until 9 November 2026.

🔗 Read the full news, call for contributions and submission form here: https://www.ecco-eu.org/2026/06/05/call-for-contributions-conrestcon-2026-in-zagreb

02/06/2026

🧩 in action | 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐍𝐊𝐅𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟕 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞

🇳🇴 Our member NKF-N - Nordisk Konservatorforbund, den Norske Seksjonen (Norway), invites conservation professionals, researchers and cultural heritage institutions to contribute to the 24th Nordic Conservation Association Conference, taking place in Bergen, Norway, on 23–24 September 2027.

👉 Under the theme Conservation in Context, NKF2027 will bring together the Nordic conservation community and wider heritage professionals to exchange knowledge on the conservation and protection of cultural heritage. Contributions are welcomed on sustainable management of collections and heritage sites, climate change and environmental risks, crisis preparedness and emergency response, new technologies and innovative conservation methods, interdisciplinary collaboration and research, case studies and professional best practices.

✍ Abstracts can be submitted for full paper presentations, lightning-round practical tips and tricks, or poster presentations. The deadline for submissions is 15 October 2026.

🔗 Submit your proposal here: https://nkf2027.w.uib.no/callforpapers/

29/05/2026

🧩 in action | 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲

👉 On 21 May 2026, Komora reštaurátorov, the Slovak Chamber of Conservator-Restorers, submitted formal comments to the proposed Plan for the Recovery and Resilience of Culture in Slovakia, bringing the voice of the profession into an important national policy discussion.

‼️Through its contribution, the Chamber highlighted key issues for the protection of cultural heritage, including transparency in the use of public funding, clear responsibilities in heritage governance, and the need to distinguish professional conservation-restoration from broader forms of renewal or craft-based intervention.

👏 This is a strong example of how E.C.C.O. member organisations act at national level to defend professional standards, strengthen public understanding of conservation-restoration, and ensure that decisions affecting cultural heritage are informed by qualified expertise.

🔗 Read the full publication here: https://www.restauro.sk/aktualne/komora-dnes-podala-pripomienky-k-planu-obnovy-a-odolnosti-kultury

20/05/2026

💡 𝐄.𝐂.𝐂.𝐎. 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮: 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫-𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐫𝐬?

👉 In the latest Insider Talks, E.C.C.O. representatives Elis Marçal and Amalia Siatou sat down with Margherita Sani (Network of European Museum Organisations) to discuss a stark reality: the true digital landscape for conservator-restorers.

💻 While institutions often possess dedicated digital infrastructure, most conservator-restorers across Europe operate in the private sector. For independent professionals and small companies, navigating expensive proprietary software, complex data ownership rights, and restrictive legal frameworks is a massive, daily hurdle.

🗣️ As E.C.C.O. President Elis Marçal emphasises: "Sometimes people kind of forget the private sector... It's the hugest market. What rights do we have to the data that we produce? The challenges can go from 'I don't have the skills' to 'the legal framework in my country doesn't allow me' and everything in between."

🛜 Digital tools are essential for modern reporting and imaging, yet they remain out of reach for many. Vice Treasurer Amalia Siatou points out the core issue: "We're talking about proprietary tools. We don't have easy access to open access and free tools to do our job."

💪 Technology must act as a bridge for our profession, not a barrier. E.C.C.O. is actively guiding the ECHOES project to guarantee the independent conservator-restorer’s voice is at the forefront. When we equip our private sector professionals with accessible resources, we do more than make their work easier, we actively secure the future of our shared European heritage.

📺 Watch the full discussion here:

In this episode of ECHOES Insider Talks, Margherita Sani (NEMO) talks with Elis Marçal and Amalia Siatou from E.C.C.O. (the European Confederation of Conserv...

12/05/2026

11/05/2026

11/05/2026

🇸🇮 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝟐𝟑 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞’𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧-𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡: 𝐄.𝐂.𝐂.𝐎. 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐬 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐋𝐣𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐣𝐚𝐧𝐚.

🇪🇺 Bringing together 25 of our 29 member organisations, represented by delegates and presidents from 23 countries, the 2026 General Assembly offered a powerful moment of European exchange and collective decision-making. The E.C.C.O. Committee and Secretariat presented key developments for the network, including office improvements, budget, advocacy work, strategic priorities, and actions implemented over the past year.

🗣️The GA also provided the opportunity for external guests to share important updates connected to E.C.C.O.’s wider European cooperation and strategic partnerships. Laura Fuster López, President of our sister network Encore - European Network for Conservation-Restoration Education, presented the latest developments of the networks and the E&T field, while Sophia Sotiropoulou, from the The Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser - FORTH, shared insights and updates of and COLOURS projects.

🤝 The General Assembly also marked an important moment of governance, with the re-election of the E.C.C.O. Committee and the welcoming of James Licari, President of MAPCo-Re: The Malta Association of Professional Conservator-Restorers, as a new Committee member.

🙏 Our sincere thanks go to Društvo restavratorjev Slovenije, Zavod za varstvo kulturne dediščine Slovenije and Arhiv Republike Slovenije / Archives of the Republic of Slovenia for their generous welcome and excellent organisation throughout our gathering in Ljubljana.

✨ The 2026 General Assembly once again showed what makes the strong: highly committed members, open exchange, European coordination, and the direct contribution of national professional organisations. With 23 countries represented in Ljubljana, E.C.C.O. brings together a clear and grounded view of the realities shaping conservation-restoration across Europe, confirming the strength of a network united by a shared conviction to protect, represent, and advance the profession.