For centuries, Albacete has been the main reference in Spain for an industry of great importance in our country: cutlery production. And it is a reference not only in Spain but also internationally. Despite the tough crises the sector has gone through, both in industrial terms and from the viewpoint of a handicraft, due to the restrictive legislation that has negatively impacted a large part of the output and the more recent effects of mainly Asian imports, Albacete and its citizens still flourish the banner of “the city of knives”.

The so-called “Declaration of Albacete”, signed in September, 2004, by the main cities of Europe related to this sector, was merely the starting point for the many actions to be undertaken by knife-makers to achieve the excellence deserved by our struggle to achieve the inclusion in European regulations of an obligatory “made in” mark on products imported from third-party countries.

But this subject of the “made in” mark is not the only one that must be considered. Other subjects of interest for the sector such as the surcharges imposed by steel manufacturers, the creation of the Federation of the European Cutlery and Related Industries, the quality marks and their market positioning, or the challenges of handicrafts in view of the globalization of the market imbue this conference proposal with sense and contents

The main goals of this congress are:
- To facilitate meetings between the authorities, technical experts and those responsible for the industry in both the public and private sectors conducting activities in the area of the cutlery industry and craftsmanship.
- To create a space in which all agents involved (associations, business owners, public institutions etc.) have an opportunity to make their opinions heard and strengthen the structure of the European cutlery industry.
- To contribute to the fostering of research in the cutlery sector among academics and researchers.
- To encourage the figure of associations as agents for the development and greater dynamism of handicrafts.
- To analyze the creation of the European Cutlery Federation. - To provide factory owners and craftsmen with resources and techniques for the marketing of their businesses.
- To discuss and share thoughts on the problems and experiences encountered by professionals in the sector in their day-to-day work and applicable to the industry and the craft.
- To promote the use of the “made in” mark on products intended for both the internal market and export, as well as on imported articles, in defence of European cutlery and in line with the Draft Regulations of the Council adopted in Brussels on December 16th, 2005, (SECC (2005) 1657).
- To propitiate a joint document so that each national association involved can convey to the corresponding Employer’s Federation and each government the express petition for the regulation of product markings at the point of origin of their production.
- The knife-making craft as an element generating tourism and conveying culture, with the patent examples of European cities that have inaugurated a specific museum.
- To mainstream the craft as an economic resource of each region and country.
- To preserve and promote the historic heritage of cutlery-making regions and its social harnessing for economic and cultural benefits.

Simultaneously with this congress, we will be holding the first ALBACETE KNIFE SHOW, open to the general public and with the aim of becoming an annual event, in order to make society more aware of the nature and attraction of our profession, thus achieving the involvement of the general public in our efforts to include cutlery in the European Regulations on indication of country of origin.