Dear Colleagues,

as President of ESOP Global, I look back with great gratitude on a year in which we have jointly addressed many topics, overcome challenges, and set important directions for the future. Throughout all these efforts, it has always been essential for us to align our progress with our shared mission and common goals.

Our 25th anniversary as a Society marks not only a significant jubilee, but also an impressive milestone in our development: Today, we are proud to count nearly 5,000 members from more than 100 countries worldwide. At the same time, the dedicated work of our 13 Working Groups is bearing visible fruit through publications and a wide range of activities that provide practical support to our colleagues in their daily professional lives.

The world around us has not become calmer. On the contrary, we are witnessing how totalitarian tendencies and disregard for human dignity are, in some societies, in danger of becoming disturbingly normalized. Developments that lead to a deterioration in the care of those who do not belong to the narrowly defined, purely profit-driven core of society stand in direct contradiction to the fundamental values of our Society. We therefore remain steadfast in our commitment, supporting one another and raising our voices for the rights of all people – especially for the sick, and thus also for patients with cancer.

Even when states position themselves against one another, we as human beings across these nations stand united for something greater: for humanity itself, which must always stand above exaggerated national pride.

More than five years ago, we asked you about your expectations for the year 2025. At that time, none of us could foresee the COVID-19 pandemic, nor the subsequent global military conflicts, both of which have been accompanied by suffering, loss of life, and profound disruption. Yet, even under these unprecedented conditions, we continued our work consistently and in line with our principles – demonstrating that our words are always matched by action.

In the coming year, we will therefore ask you again: Have your expectations nevertheless been fulfilled? Which unforeseen challenges had to be overcome? These questions and many more will guide us in June 2026, when we come together once again at the ECOP in Ljubljana for direct and personal exchange.

I sincerely hope that many of you will be able to join us there in person.

To all those who may not be able to be with us in person, please know that you are no less present in spirit. Your ideas, your experiences, your concerns, and your hopes continue to shape our Society every day. Even across distances, your voices matter deeply to us, and they will always find a place within ESOP Global.

yours

Klaus Meier