European Geography Association


The European Geography Association is an association encouraging European students to engage with geography through hands-on learning experiences. EGEA provides exchange programs and excursions to facilitate connection between European students and others from across the globe.
EGEA also provide publications in partnership with EuroGeography. They operate in 32 European nations and have over 3,000 active participants.
The aims of EGEA are to offer personal development opportunities to young geographers across Europe, and enable them to fulfill their potential as young scientists. EGEA provides complementary and alternative learning opportunities, beyond formal education of geography. This is done by encouraging and enabling involvement in intercultural interaction, as well as by development of academic, scientific, cultural and professional activities intended for young geographers on terms of equality, diversity and non-discrimination. EGEA actively contributes towards the promotion of geography through its network capabilities and through strategic partnerships, with the ultimate goal to strengthen geography’s place in members’ local communities.

History

The EGEA was founded in 1987 by students from universities in three main cities; Barcelona, Warszawa and Utrecht. The aim for the organisation was to allow students from varying European countries to exchange knowledge regarding the geography of the region. One year later, in 1988, EGEA was officially registered as a foundation with chair in Utrecht. In 1996 the first website of EGEA was launched. The homepage would become the central meeting point for all EGEA members across Europe.At the 2009 General Assembly in Heeg a change of EGEA's legal status was decided. Since then EGEA is working as an association. Until 2014 EGEA has grown from its initial three entities to a current number of 90 entities in 36 different countries.

Activities

There are several local, national, and international activities organized by the entities of EGEA. The main events of the year are the congresses. Other annual events are national weekends and summer schools. In addition, entities organize their own events. The spectrum of content of these events reaches from scientific seminars or excursions to events where the main focus lies on getting together. A high popularity among EGEAns are exchanges between entities.

Congresses

Five congresses take place each year: four Regional Congresses in Spring, organized by one or more entities in each region, and the Annual Congress held in September.
Congresses always include workshops, excursions, trainings, and lectures with a scientific background. There are also meetings for Contact Persons of the entities and regional or international assemblies.

Exchanges

Students exchanges are the core activities of EGEA. They enable small groups from 2 or 3 EGEA entities to visit each other in their countries, learn about culture, explore local habits and experience that country's natural environment. Most importantly, they enable young geographers to get to know their international peers. Following the agreement, one entity is hosting the other one. During the hosting time young people take care of the accommodation, food, and programme. Later on, the hosting entity becomes the visiting one and repays the visit. Exchanges are numerously the most attended activities, when taking into consideration number of events taking place every year.

Scientific Symposium

Each year at the Annual Congress there is also a scientific symposium, where the members are able to present their scientific work, for example diploma or PhD theses.

Seminars

There are a few seminars every year, always organized by several entities. The seminars are held on a scientific level that cover different themes in the particular disciplines of geography.

Summer/Winter schools

During the semester breaks in summer and winter EGEA also gives students the chance to participate at self-organized summer or winter schools.

Weekend Activities

The national or international weekend activities are organized by the EGEA. In most cases there is a main theme to show particular regional or local characteristics. The programme can be scientific or have a more informal level. Some of the regional weekend activities, such as those in the Baltic states, the Slavic countries, Germany, the Benelux countries, the Iberian peninsula and the Balkans, are mainly aimed at people from that region, whereas other weekends are open to all EGEA members.

Structure

EGEA was divided into four administrative regions: the North & Baltic, the Eastern, the Western and the Euro-Mediterranean regions until 2024. Now EGEA is divided to three regions: North & Baltic, Western and Eastern & Mediterranean regions. Every region elects a new Regional Contact Person each year. As helping hands they have one or more Regional Assistants. Together they form the Regional Teams. The function of Regional Contact Person was introduced in 2012 to relieve EGEA's board members of coordinating the regions.

Regions

Source:

North & Baltic Region

This region is located in Northern Europe around the Baltic Sea. Entities that belong there are situated in: Eastern Germany, Poland, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The countries in this region that currently don't have active entities are Denmark, Iceland and Latvia.

Western Region

By members and entities the Western Region is the largest administrative region of EGEA. It comprises the British Isles, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and parts of France. The country in this region that currently doesn't have an active entity is Luxembourg.

Eastern & Mediterranean Region

This region contains all entities of countries that are located around the Mediterranean Sea and in Eastern Europe. There are entities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, France, Italy, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Georgia, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Slovakia and Ukraine. The countries in this region that currently don't have active entities are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Georgia, Italy, Russia and Moldova.

Board of EGEA

The Board consists of six persons, four of whom fulfill the functions of President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. These four Board members are elected by the General Assembly out of individuals from the Association. A representative of the entity chosen to organise the Annual Congress was also a member of the board, but this latter position was replaced by an elected Event and Public Relations Advisor at the General Assembly of 2015. The Board represents and is the executive body of the Association. The Board is supported by the Secretariat Coordinator, previously called the Secretariat Director, whose seat is the office at the EGEA headquarters in Kraków. This position was first created in 2005 and contrived by the entity of Utrecht. It has now been moved to Kraków. In 2016 also the grant team with its coordinator was created to take care of financial grants.
YearPresidentVice PresidentSecretaryTreasurerEvent AdvisorPR AdvisorSecretariat Coordinator**
2025/26Klemen BaronikSeline DaumalHannes RottgardtOlivia DemanJob StoparHeli TüriPaulina Wróblewska
2024/25Julia NejmanLuka LešićMichał PurtaKristof HeimannCéline WalkerTabea KottekJasper Oosterloo
2023/24Runa WitteAmalia IlieLars KohlmeyerJonas MartensMax BuchhartVeera NiemiRaf Martens
2022/23Henrik SteinJosefa LorethJared YoungSigrid PaavlePatrycja SokołowskaDaniela KebertováRaf Martens

YearPresidentVice PresidentSecretaryTreasurerEvent and PR Advisor*Secretariat Coordinator**-
2021/22Micol AlessandriEsther de WinterMarie Johanna UniverLuana SchenaStanisław KoniecznyRaf Martens-
2020/21Dylan ColonneRhune van CleemputVictoria StoyanovaAlexander BastenDaria KarsonovaSuzanne Lansbergen-
2019/20Ksenia SimonovaJakub RůžičkaJohanna ZempelJeroen RoyerMerli IlvesJelle Bulens-
2018/19Swen SchmitzValentina VrhovecMilan MíkFrederike SchneiderAnna FeliksbrotAlbert-Jan van der Werp-
2017/18David RabensteinerPietu NiinimäkiLea RebernikVít VolnýAnselm EberlRick de Graaf-
2016/17Simon SchudelInes StadlerVilna TyystjärviJoonas PöllänenMarek BorkowskiRick de Graaf-
2015/16Daan SmekensFlorin CiolobocMaria KolesnikovaNina WackMichael WitteAndries Bosma-
2014/15Nora VargaClaudia RockWendy WuytsAndré BergerRobbert KramerSander van der Klei-
2013/14Colette CaruanaChristoph GötzIsabella RojsAlexandra SavulescuMarius VidacCecile Kerssemakers-
2012/13Jirka KonietznyNiels GrootjansPetronela BordeianuMaciej RadynoAnna ToloczkoRik de Kleijn-
2011/12Svetlana SamsonovaJoanna WawrynowiczHenning KronenMichael PoulsenKristel SieprathSanne Heijt-
2010/11Alexandru DrăganSven VanderhaegenKaija MurasovMihovil MasicCarolin ZieglerRoos Saalbrink-
2009/10Claudia IordacheSlobodan CvetkovicMilda LatakaiteSamantha van der SluisCatalina IonitaJelle Gulmans-
2008/09Jeroen van PeltKamila JankowskaMilena KaranovićDennis SöderholmMartinus SpoelstraLisette von Leijenhorst-
2007/08Aleš OvenVlad DumitrescuKret MasikDavid JochumMisha LobanovMalou Weber-
2006/07Heli RekirantaAlexandros ZiogasAnastasia KazakovaTim van de LaarLukasz JankowskiGert Ruepert-
2005/06Alois HumerVojkan GajovicAnna BieniaszSandor KreuzeFlorian FischerGert Ruepert-
2004/05Vita ValuinaiteIgor PilipenkoRok GodecAndrea JordanLeftheris Eleftheriadis-
2003/04Leftheris EleftheriadisNatalia KrivenokKristjan PärnamägiKathrin KleiGert Ruepert-
2002/03Jean-François AndréJoanna MarkowskaKristjan PärnamägiHeidi van OttenTomasz Dusza-
2001/02Denis CericMagdalena BednarzErki SaluveerWinneke LobeekSylvain Rigollet-
2000/01Sylvain RigolletAnna TsukanovaAnn IdeonRemco van der HoogtWojtek Zalewski-
1999/2000Vera VerandaMagda RakHelle-Mai PedastsaarSebastian MoslerPrimoz Pipan
1998/99Erika ElorantaPrimoz PipanSvetlana MalyshevaDennis van der AvoortTonia Koops-
1997/98Teresa GomesPiotr StrubelErika ElorantaDennis van der AvoortCatrin Effe-
1996/97Teresa GomesMait ReiPiotr StrubelHenk LooijenNadia Dida-
1995/96Catrin EffeSebastian PichinskiHelder SantosRebecca HaackerRicardo Coutada-
1994/95Ricardo CoutadaRicardo CoutadaMaciej DabskiBerend BockMonika Dittrich-
1993/94Ricardo CoutadaAdam SniadowskiIngibjörg BjornsdottirBerend BockTiit Tammaru-
1992/93Jarna KarrilaJoanna Widy-KwiatkowskaJorge HumbertoMarije WillemsXavier Munoz i Torrent-

  • until 2012 Annual Congress Organiser, then until 2015 Annual Congress Coordinator.
  • * until 2016 Secretariat Director