Partners: CRAFTS COUNCIL OF IRELAND LIMITED, KILKENNY, Irland (Lead); Artex s xons r.l, Florence, Italy; Crafts Council, London, UK; LIMERICK INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, Limerik, Ireland; CENTRO DE FORMACAO PROFISSIONAL PARA O ARTESANATO E PATRIMONIO, COIMBRA, Portugal; FUNDACIÓN ESCUELA DE ORGANIZACIÓN INDUSTRIAL, Madrid, Spain; Crafts Council Nederland, Utrecht, Netherlands; Handicraft Chamber of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine; Georgian Arts and Culture Center, Tbilisi, Georgia.

The Crafting Europe (CE) project emerged from the need to build capacity within the European crafts sector. The core focus of CE aimed to address systemic challenges identified through surveys conducted across 17 European countries. These surveys highlighted four key systemic challenges:

1. Value: A lack of detailed analysis and research into the cultural impact and economic value of the craft sector has led to a knowledge gap and undervalued perception of the sector.
2. Identity, Definition, and Visibility: A common, strengthened identity and definition for the craft sector is needed to increase visibility and awareness within cultural and creative communities, the general public, and public and legislative bodies.
3. Education and Training: Attracting and engaging future generations of skilled craft practitioners, preserving key craft skills, and adopting new technologies are significant challenges.
4. Infrastructure and Supports: Improved access to supports and infrastructure, such as finance, professional practice training, commercialization opportunities, and exhibition and trade platforms, is essential.

CE prioritized capacity building, aligning its activities with Creative Europe priorities to strengthen the financial capacity of creative SMEs and organizations through transnational cooperation and policy development. Specific priorities included:

• Supporting transnational policy cooperation to drive policy development.
• Fostering capacity building through innovative approaches.
• Enabling new skill learning.