From 2000, we are facing the challenge of annual instead of biannual ECCMIDs. For some years there has clearly been a need for an annual major European congress on infectious diseases and clinical microbiology. Stockholm has been honoured by the task of launching this important phase in the growth of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID). Annual congresses of this size naturally require a higher degree of coordination. By 2001, in time for the 11th ECCMID in Istanbul, we will be able to address this via the services of a new ESCMID administrative office based in Basel, Switzerland, which will add considerable resources to those already existing in Munich, Germany. Another important step has been the appointment of a Programme Director with responsibility for coordinating the scientific programme for the ECCMIDs and for chairing a Programme Committee with broad representation of all fields of research as well as European countries. The Executive Committee of ESCMID has appointed Professor Patrick Francioli from Lausanne, Switzerland, to the task. For the 10th ECCMID, the Programme Committee has composed a very exciting scientific programme. It is innovative and will introduce new and important fields of research in infectious diseases and microbiology, for example, pathogenicity islands and mathematical epidemiological modelling. Continuity will be preserved as ECCMID's many working parties and project groups will present progress in their work since the 9th ECCMID in Berlin this year at a large number of symposia and workshops. One of the main purposes of this letter is to encourage young investigators to come to Stockholm and present the results of their research. In order to facilitate this we have decided to introduce a low registration fee (about 1/3 of full registration fee) on site for undergraduate students and for scientists and clinicians who graduated during the last four years, i.e. after the 28th of May 1996. Late spring and early summer is the best part of the year for visiting Stockholm. The winter is over, nature is blossoming and the evening sun has returned. For those of you who have not yet visited Sweden and Stockholm, it will present a most memorable opportunity to see the City on water and experience the Scandinavian light. If you have time, we encourage you to prolong your visit and see some of the other exciting sites of Sweden and the Nordic countries. We look forward to welcoming you to Stockholm next year.