Fernando Magro © ECCO

Dear Colleagues,

Dear ECCO Family,

As we look back on the 20th Congress of the European Crohn's and Colitis Organisation (ECCO), held in Berlin from February 19 to 22, 2025, I am deeply grateful and proud for all that we have accomplished together. Centred around the theme "Sustainability in IBD and beyond", the Congress underscored our shared commitment to fostering long-term strategies in IBD care. The scientific programme featured a rich and varied selection of sessions, covering the latest advances in IBD care, innovative monitoring tools and sustainable surgical practices. In addition, collaborative sessions, such as the ESGE–ECCO joint discussion on endoscopy, highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary approaches in achieving sustainable patient outcomes.

Britta Siegmund © ECCO

Dear ECCO Friends,

As the year 2024 draws to a close, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the final edition of ECCO News for this year—marking not just a reflection on an exciting year, but also my last foreword as President of ECCO. How time flies!

It has been a privilege to guide ECCO through a year of growth and progress. And now, we are on the brink of something extraordinary—the 20th ECCO Congress! This milestone event will once again align with our REACH strategy, focusing on “Sustainability in IBD and Beyond.” It is a great honour and pleasure to welcome you all to my hometown of Berlin!

Britta Siegmund © ECCO

Dear ECCO Friends,

It was truly a pleasure to meet so many of you at UEG Week in Vienna, and now the excitement is building as we prepare for the next ECCO Congress 2025 in Berlin!

In June, EduCom introduced a new format to bridge the summer gap: the “Fast Facts in IBD – the new Online ECCO Postgraduate Course in IBD,” which took place on June 12. This was a free, interactive course available to all current ECCO members, and Glen Doherty provides more insights into this fantastic new offering in this issue.

Britta Siegmund © ECCO

Dear ECCO Friends,

Summer is coming and Berlin is getting ready – not yet for the next ECCO Congress, but for the European Soccer Championship! Leading up to the summer break, everyone has been very active, which is reflected in this issue of ECCO News.

UR-CARE is now established in many centres across Europe and I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Gerhard Rogler as the new chair of the UR-CARE Steering Committee! If you would like to learn more about the plans and activities around UR-CARE, enjoy the interview with Gerhard.

Britta Siegmund © ECCO

Dear ECCO Friends,

Spring is here and I am reflecting on the wonderful congress we had in Stockholm! The new ECCO strategy – “E” element of REACH strategy – was not only fully launched but also already addressed in all our committee meetings. The focus of this year’s congress was the letter “E” – Equitable access to IBD to care”, – expanding the outreach and inclusivity of ECCO initiatives across the globe. With 99 different countries represented at the congress and many multi-national exchanges throughout the programme, such as the Global Forum, it shows the growing network, with more plans to come. We as the Governing Board are very excited that the ECCO family shares our enthusiasm for “E” element of REACH strategy !

Britta Siegmund © ECCO

Dear ECCO Friends,

This is the final edition of ECCO News for 2023. It is an appropriate time to reflect on past activities and look forward to ECCO 2024 “Crossing Boarders” in Stockholm. It is worth noting that at the end of 2023, ECCO has reached a new record number of 4596 members!

The theme of the 2024 congress is “Crossing Boarders”, indicating that ECCO aims to expand its global IBD network. This issue emphasizes two initiatives: the new ECCO Global grant and the recently initiated ECCO Consensus on IBD in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The 2024 congress will discuss and highlight IBD around the world, facilitating network building. The preview of the programme is available here.

Britta Siegmund © ECCO

Dear ECCO Friends,

It is autumn already, many us have attended the UEG Week in Copenhagen and we are already preparing for the next ECCO Congress 2024 in Stockholm!

The theme of the Stockholm Congress is “Crossing Borders in IBD”, which underlines the global community that ECCO embraces, working together to improve patient care and quality of life worldwide. In view of the last few weeks, we would like to emphasise that ECCO stands for peaceful coexistence and sympathy for all the innocent people who are suffering. We as ECCO demand the immediate release of all hostages. We sincerely hope that the situation will calm down soon and that we will be able to see each other in Stockholm!

Britta Siegmund © ECCO

Dear ECCO Friends,

As winter has turned first into spring and then into summer, a lot of activities have been taking place within ECCO and it is therefore good to have a new issue of ECCO News to keep ECCO Members up to date with the latest developments.

We have all been waiting for the update of the Guideline on Extraintestinal Manifestations in IBD. In this issue of ECCO News, Torsten Kucharzik, as GuiCom Chair, provides an executive summary that will potentially stimulate all readers to go immediately to the recently published guideline. Another highlight relating to ECCO Publications is the summary of the Topical Review on Multidisciplinary Perinatal Care in IBD, presented by Lihi Godny, who coordinated this together with Catherine Wall as a D-ECCO Initiative. Thanks to all the authors for filling this important gap!

Britta Siegmund © ECCO

Dear ECCO Friends,

It was not only wonderful to meet all members of the ECCO family in Copenhagen, but also to have a personal exchange again. Without a doubt, all the committees and workshops have also benefited from this "traditional – in person" format, as we will see in a moment from the summary of the many activities of the Congress in this issue. First of all, however, I am delighted to have taken over the presidency from Laurent Peyrin-Biroulet and to be able to lead, strengthen and develop the ECCO family with all its activities over the next two years!

Laurent Peyrin-Biroulet © ECCO

Dear ECCO Friends,

Welcome to the last issue of ECCO News for 2022!

In ECCO News Issue 4 our Associate Editors have continued with the second episode of a new interesting series Meet the JCC Authors where Maria Chaparro and Mette Julsgaard are discussing their recent paper in the Journal of Crohn’s and Colitis titled: "Surgery due to Inflammatory Bowel Disease During Pregnancy: Mothers and Offspring Outcomes From an ECCO CONFER Multicentre Case Series [Scar Study]".