A short message from the Secretary General of the EFP

Geneva, 20th September 2007 Dear Colleagues and Friends, This a short message to keep you updated on progress made since the last General Assembly. Executive Committee: The Executive Committee met in Stockholm on September 7-8. Prospectus attended part of the meeting to discuss the Strategic Planning. Strategic Planning: A major task for the EFP. Following the presentation of the vision and strategic objectives at the General Assembly in Florence, it was agreed to have a comprehensive consultation within the National Societies in order to collect feedback from the members. The result of this consultation was presented by Prospectus at the last EC meeting. The overall feedback was very positive. Amendments suggested by the Societies were incorporated into the plan. The final strategic plan will be presented to the next General Assembly for approval. Legal/economic issues: Another top priority. I. Chapple and E. Winkel worked very closely during this transition period to transfer the entire operation to the new Treasurer. Action was taken to solve the difficulties that we encountered with the previous accountants. As a result, Moore Stephens Wood Appleton in Brussels was appointed as new accounting firm, David Lipton as new auditors and we plan to move the EFP accounts in the very near future to a new banking institution. EFP structure: The managerial structure of the EFP was discussed during the last EC meeting. EFP needs include a secretarial-accounting-legal component and the management of the EuroPerio congress. It was agreed to look for companies which could provide the EFP with such services. A proposal will be made at the next GA. Monica Guinea's title has been changed to European Co-ordinator, to more accurately reflect her activities and her role within the EFP. We hope Monica will become a fulltime employee of the EFP soon, given her increasing duties. Committees: - The survey on the practice of periodontology is well underway and over 1'000 members have answered the questionnaire. - The EFP Graduate Symposium which took place in Ermelo, the Netherlands, on August 31-Sepember 1, 2007, was a success. - The JCP was reported to have an impact factor IF=2.38 and to rank number 8 in dentistry. - The preparation of EuroPerio 6 is underway. Substantial progress was made with the sponsoring and with the preparation of the scientific programme. EFP Website: Our website is under reconstruction: new design and friendly navigation will make it more attractive. The maquette of the new website was presented at the last EC meeting. The next General Assembly will be held on February 23, 2008, in Munich. Looking forward to seeing you again. With kind regards, Pierre Baehni EFP Secretary General