IBE European Regional Executive Committee (EREC) held a meeting in Athens the 11th November 2007. The meeting focused very much on the oncoming 11th European Conference on Epilepsy and Society that will take place in Marseille 15-17 October 2008. Much of the conference progamme is now ready but many details and matters still remains. We hope that progamme will be attractive and interesting. The theme of the conference is Active Life and Epilepsy.

As usual there will many Quality of Life issues as well as focus on socio-political matters, how to use of Internet information and how to cope with media, achieveing goals in life, epilepsy and humour, epilepsy in the family and much more. If everything work out as planned there will workshops run in English as well as in French. We also hope to have a special youth session – we are really looking forward to attract more young people to the conference.

The conference will be held in close collaboration with AISPACE, the French IBE member and with the help of the IDM Congress Secretariat that tackles the hard work of logistics, budget, wesite and many other practical issues. We are also happy to offer 25 travel bursaries.

The Announcement and website will be ready and distributed in a near future. So keep a close eye on the IBE website for news!
IBE EREC is also working on the Action Plan for New Members in Europe. Through the hard work of Thanos Covanis, IBE vice President for Europe, EREC was happy to invite and meet with representatives from Albania, FYR Macedonia and Armenia in Athens. During the meeting we discussed the possibilities and how to establish Epilepsy Organisations, and hopefully also new members, in these three countries. By creating a network and establishing contacts for support and advice EREC hope to stimulate this important work for persons with epilepsy. Contacts has also been taken with Phil Lee, Chair of the IBE Enlargement Comissions, who has promised to support and advice our new friends in their new steps and will also follow the development of the Action Plan.

We certainly look forward to this development and hope to welcome Albania, FYR Macedonia and Armenia as IBE members as soon as possible.

Kind regards

Peter Dahlqvist
Chair IBE European Regional Executive Committee

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From left: Ilirjana Zekja, Albania, Andreas Habberstad, EREC, Jonina Björg Gudmundsdottir, EREC, Thanos Covanis, EREC, Seppo Sarkkula, EREC, Ana Doneva, FYR Macedonia, Peter Dahlqvist, EREC, Hayrapet Kalashyan, Armenia