ECREA - ECREA 20th Anniversary

European Communication Research
and Education Association

ECREA 20Th Anniversary celebration

ECREA celebrates 20 years!

Founded on 25 November 2005 at the first European Communication Conference (ECC) in Amsterdam, ECREA emerged from the merger of two prominent European associations of communication researchers: the European Communication Association (ECA) and the European Consortium for Communications Research (ECCR). Over the past two decades, it has grown into a vibrant community connecting scholars across Europe and beyond. More about ECREA history can be found HERE.

To mark this special milestone, we asked ECREA community including former presidents, members of Executive Board or former members of S/N/TWG management teams to share their most memorable moments from the past years. These highlights reflect the energy, creativity, and collaboration that have defined the association.

Join us in celebrating ECREA’s 20-year journey and the remarkable impact it continues to have on the field of communication research! We will be celebrating the whole November, so feel free to share our memories with us.

HOW IT ALL STARTED

Take a look at this video, where Nico Carpentier talks about how the association first came together and the motivations behind its creation. He recalls the early enthusiasm, collaboration and shared desire to build a space for communication scholars across Europe.

Watch the video HERE.

CAKE TO CELEBRATE COOPERATION

The ECREA Diaspora, Migration and the Media Section, in collaboration with the International and Intercultural Communication Section, has had the privilege of organizing two conferences—one in 2023 (Rotterdam) and another in 2025 (Tallinn). This enduring partnership has proven both fruitful and meaningful, bringing together individuals who are not only ambitious but also exceptionally collegial, demonstrating that these qualities are not mutually exclusive. Unlike other academic discourses that often emphasize competition and individualism, our collaboration has fostered a spirit of cooperation, mutual respect, and shared purpose. To celebrate this remarkable partnership, we marked the occasion with a cake during the 2025 conference at Tallinn University, symbolizing both our shared achievements and the ongoing bond between our sections.

ECREA International and Intercultural communication

Anastassia Zabrodskaja (Tallinn University, Baltic Film, Media and Arts School, Estonia)
David Ongenaert (Charles University, Czech Republic; Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands)
Melanie Radue (University of Passau, Germany)
Shomaila Sadaf (University of Jyväskylä, Finland)
Ana-Nzinga Weiß (University of Rostock, Germany)
Arne van Lienden (Erasmus University Rotterdam/Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands)

ECREA Diaspora, Migration and the Media