LAUSR

Dear EAA Members, Let me begin by expressing my deepest gratitude to all of you for giving me the opportunity to undertake my second mandate as the President of EAA. I have served our community in this important position since 2014 with the precious help of an excellent Executive Council composed of Dimitrios Goulis (Secretary), Hermann Behre (Treasurer), Gert Dohle, Andrea Isidori, Osvaldo Rajmil, Wolfgang Weidner, Jorma Toppari (Past President), Ewa Rajpert-De Meyts (2014–16, ex-Editor-in-Chief, Andrology) and Manuela Simoni (since 2017, current Editor-in-Chief of Andrology). The new election, which took place in Budapest during the European Congress of Andrology (ECA 2018), led to the renewal of the Executive Council. The two new officers are Ewa Rajpert-De Meyts (Secretary) and Frank T€ uttelmann (Treasurer), and the new Council members are Davor Je zek (Croatia), Zsolt Kopa (Hungary) and Eduard Ruiz Casta~ n e (Spain). Our Congress in Budapest (11–13 October 2018) was a special event, not only because it was the 10th ECA but also because it coincided with the 25th anniversary of the EAA. For this occasion, I edited a commemorative book to offer you insights into the history of the EAA and summarize the achievements of the Academy. The electronic version of the EAA book is now available on the Academy’s website. On the occasion of this special anniversary, some of our Academicians have been honoured for their outstanding contributions to the EAA: Eberhard Nieschlag, Ilpo Huhtaniemi, Jorma Toppari, Ewa Rajpert-De Meyts and Gy€ orgy Papp. For the second time, a meeting of the Directors of EAA Training Centres took place just before ECA 2018, allowing an open discussion on EAA educational strategies. The training centres are the backbone of the EAA and indeed, they were promoters of the outstanding EAA activities, such as educational courses and summer schools. I am proud to announce that this year we had the largest ever number of applicants for the EAA Clinical Andrologist examination, clearly reflecting the constantly increasing interest of young MDs in our field and the excellent work carried out in the EAA centres. These activities resulted in a growing number of EAA Members and I warmly welcome all the new Members who joined the EAA in 2018. To promote education, we have increased the number of scholarships and travel grants available for young EAA Members. ECA 2018 was a remarkable success with a record number of participants from more than 50 different countries. ECA represents a unique scientific forum in Europe, entirely dedicated to all aspects of andrology, thus providing a platform for interaction between clinical andrologists with different backgrounds (endocrinology, urology, gynaecology and dermatology) and basic/translational scientists. A significant number of non-European delegates attended the Congress. Their presence underlined the fact that the EAA Congress is the leading biennial scientific event not only for European andrologists. My sincere gratitude goes to the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee, Zsolt Kopa and his team, who have organized this meeting with great dedication, giving all attendees an unforgettable ECA 2018. I would also like to thank the Members of the Programme Organising Committee, chaired by Dimitrios Goulis, with vice-Chairmen Giovanni Corona and Rafael Oliva, for the excellent scientific programme which has been highly appreciated by the attendees. [Correction added on March 29, 2019, after online publication: the name Giuseppe Corona has been corrected to Giovanni Corona.] At the ECA 2018, we have further strengthened our collaboration with the ESAU by organizing three joint EAA/ESAU courses. In this regard, I would like to thank the Chairman of ESAU, Professor Nikolaos Sofikitis for his support. Finally, it is my pleasure to inform you that our next ECA will take place in M€ unster in early December 2020 and will be held together with the 12th International Congress of Andrology (ICA). We are now approaching the end of 2018, a year full of scientific breakthroughs and outstanding events. I am confident that 2019 will be a busy and productive year and will bring a series of new activities. I would like to involve all of you in this innovating process,