[eccr] Towards a new Structure of the European Communication Science Community

Title: Towards a new Structure of the European Communication Science Community

Towards a new Structure of the European Communication Science Community
The Amsterdam meeting, January 18, 2003
A Statement

On January 18, 2003, a meeting took place in Amsterdam that was attended by Bill Campbell and Christine Daymon (on behalf of ECA), Betteke van Ruler (on behalf of ECA and Euprera), Cees Hamelink, Kaarle Nordenstreng and Jan Servaes (on behalf of ECCR). Jan van Cuilenburg (ECCR), Kate Mackenzie (ECA), Günther Bentele and Dejan Vercic (Euprera) had to be excused. The meeting was chaired by Klaus Schoenbach.

The purpose of this gathering was to explore how the field of communication research could be strengthened across the European region. The discussion focused on the problem of the enormous diversity of academic teaching and research related to media and communication and the need for some unifying structure. Participants stressed that this is especially urgent in view of the fact that across Europe the field of communication studies is rapidly expanding and attracting a large amount of research interest as well as large numbers of students. At the same time the field is still struggling to gain adequate recognition and support both in academic and political circles.

The common conclusion of this meeting was that the European region needs to have ONE institutional arrangement to address the interests (present and future) of researchers in media and communication and provide a forum for discussion and exchange.

Based upon an inventory of current initiatives in the field, participants at the meeting concluded that the most appropriate course of action would be for the ECA to merge into the ECCR structure, provided a number of conditions were met. 

All attendants believe in this merger because ECCR has a number of benefits to provide to the communication science community and an establishing brand in academic and political circles. ECCR offers discount subscriptions to more than 35 professional journals and ECCR Books at a discount; members-only information on EU research calls with assistance in coordination and lobbying of EU research projects; seminars and conferences for junior as well as senior scholars and policymakers; opportunities to network with colleagues notably through a website which contains the latest information and invites online discussions.

The attendants hope that other, specialized regional associations, as Euprera is, will deliberate an associate institutional membership. 

The conditions to be met would be:     
… that the ECCR would emphasize individual membership and associate institutional membership next to institutional membership (the statutes provide room for this)
… that the ECCR would provide for the organisation of divisions in such fields as organizational communication, public relations, new media and intercultural communication and leave the possibility open of adding more divisions
… that the ECCR would welcome active members of ECA and Euprera to be involved in their forces at the strategic levels
… that the ECCR would be open to negotiate ­ if so desired by the membership ­ a new name for the association.

It is the common feeling of the participants that the present proposal is sufficiently open to accommodate a range of existing interests and at the same time provides an opportunity to pool resources for a promising future of communication research in the European region.

Bill Campbell, Christine Daymon, Cees Hamelink, Kaarle Nordenstreng, Betteke van Ruler, Klaus Schoenbach and Jan Servaes