Session: #552

Discussion session: round table

The Malta Convention has already been a subject of reflection for a number of years, at least 10.
We can therefore say that we are backed by a rather extensive and up-to-date assessments that show first and foremost that the overall situation is highly fragmented, in terms of both legislative or institutional solutions and the methods applied.
In general, we can affirm that despite the indisputable progress in terms of our knowledge of the European archaeological scene and landscape the Convention also raises many critical issues.
In addition to the problems inherent in discipline and its practice, in this last quarter of a century the cultural, social and political horizon has changed completely.
In many countries the competences of archaeologists are increasingly marginalised when it comes to decision-making processes on the one hand, while on the other overall working conditions have worsened in terms both of pay and protection of the profess
Rewriting the Malta Convention appears to be necessary in light of the experience of the past 25 years, both in order to adapt it in response to the problems that have been highlighted and even more so to update it and bring it into line with present-day reality (in terms of the discipline’s development and above all from a social and political standpoint).
The purpose of our session is to propose a first basis for moving in this direction.

Malta Convention preventive archaeology

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Dr. Maria Pia Guermandi (Italy) ¹

Pr. Jean-Paul Demoule (France) ²
Predrag Novakovic (Croatia) ³
Arek Marciniak (Poland) ⁴