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Iceland is a country of 360,000 inhabitants, who are mostly of Icelandic ethnic origin together with 11% of people, who are of eastern European ancestry. There are seven universities in Iceland. The University of Iceland has a faculty of medicine, from which around 48 physicians graduate each year. Medical education consists of seven years: three preclinical years, three clinical years and an internship year. Training mostly takes place in the University Hospital in Reykjavik but also in several local hospitals and primary care clinics outside the main hospital. For specialty training in neurology, physicians have to move abroad, and most go to Scandinavia, or to the United States.

One of the main aims of the European Academy of Neurology is to establish common standards of diagnosis, treatment and care within the various subfields of neurology across Europe. As a region of diverse jurisdictions, languages, markets and healthcare challenges, European neurology needs to establish not only guidelines for the diagnosis and the treatment of neurological disorders, but also in order to maintain and enhance the discipline and practice of neurology.

For January 2020 we have selected Kapur J et al., Randomized Trial of Three Anticonvulsant Medications for Status Epilepticus,

Ukraine is the largest country entirely within Europe with the territory of 603,628 km2. The main part of the territory of Ukraine is located within the East European Plain (up to 95 % of area). There are 25 main administrative regions, and also cities with a special status (such as Kyiv, capital of the country), which are divided, in turn, into districts. The population of Ukraine is more than 42 million.

First of all, I would like to wish you a very happy holiday season and every success in the New Year! As we approach the end of 2019, we can look back on another highly productive year for EAN with yet another successful congress. The number of delegates was an all-time high and we can boast on eminent keynote speakers, and well-attended scientific sessions and teaching courses. As our main mission is to promote excellence in neurology across Europe, we aim to continue this success and hard work into the future. With that in mind, I would like to tell you a little about some recent changes and plans that EAN has in order to support this important mission to the benefit of neurologists and patients throughout Europe.

For December 2019, we have selected: Cree et al., Inebilizumab for the treatment of neuromyelitis optica (N-MOmentum): a double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled  phase 2/3 trial Lancet 2019 Epub ahead of print Sept 5.

Armenia is located in the South Caucasus, bordered by Georgia from the north, Iran from the South, Azerbaijan from the north-east and the south-west and Turkey from the west. The Republic of Armenia occupies a territory of 29,800 square kilometres. The capital is Yerevan. According to the general census of 2011 the population of Armenia is 3,018,854, 1.1 million of whom live in Yerevan.

In a recent article published in the August 2019 issue of the EAN Pages, we presented the framework based on which the collaboration between the EAN and the EFNR is currently unfolding. The Memorandum of Understanding between the two organizations, signed in 2017, is the guiding document that formally governs this partnership, which focuses on three key pillars for development: facilitating evidence-based clinical guideline production, promoting multidisciplinary education, and hosting joint sessions within the main scientific events organized annualy by these institutions. This article will focus on the latter priority for our collaboration, with the goal of disseminating relevant updates how our community benefits from the interaction between the EAN and the EFNR.

This month’s selected paper addresses the risk of neurological deficits in people with cavernomas treated with antithrombotic medication. Perhaps counter-intuitively, the authors report a lower risk of intracerebral haemorrhage in patients taking antithrombotic medication (mostly antiplatelet therapy). The study therefore provides reassurance for clinicians managing patients with this relatively common, and often incidental, vascular finding that antithrombotic therapy does not appear harmful; conversely, there could be some benefit, but this requires further evaluation in a randomised controlled trial.

Spain is the fourth-largest country in Europe, with a population of just more than 47 million, and is made up of mainland Spain, occupying the majority of the Iberian Peninsula, the Balearic islands in the Mediterranean, the cities of Ceuta and Melilla in North Africa, and the Canary Islands in the north-east Atlantic Ocean. Spain’s capital is Madrid, and the country is divided into 17 autonomous communities, which provide free, universal healthcare to all their inhabitants.

I am happy to share with you that Prof. Franz Fazekas’s health has greatly improved.  We are in regular contact with him and his wife and expect (and wish) further recovery. Unfortunately, his current condition does not allow him to resume his function as President of our Society. As a consequence, the board has decided to ask me to take over his duties from September 1, 2019. To support the board and in accord with our bylaws, Prof. D. Vodusek, who already served in the EAN board, was appointed as member at large (until the next elections in Paris). I am very thankful to the entire board, the office, and particularly to Prof. G. Deuschl for their trust, support and advice in this delicate transition period.

This month’s selected paper is a working group report that addresses a recently described disorder, limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy (LATE), which is emerging as an important cause of cognitive impairment in the elderly. The group make recommendations for standardised neuropathological evaluation and identify research avenues to better understand this evolving new disease phenotype.

Sweden, population 10 million, is the largest of the Nordic countries. The population is concentrated to the southern large-city areas, including the capital Stockholm (population 2 million) and the cities of Gothenburg and Malmö. Geographically, Sweden is the third largest country in the EU. The northern parts of the country extend above the artic circle, but the climate is relatively mild (average temperature about 0°C in January and 21°C in July) on account of the Gulf Stream carrying warmer Caribbean water to the region.!

It is my pleasure to introduce the backbone of our society, the Scientific Panels, to you in my role as the Scientific Committee Chair. EAN Scientific Panels cover a wide range of subspecialties and play a significant role in the EAN everyday activities. These member-led groups are a perfect opportunity to network with colleagues

For September 2019, we have selected two scientific papers with a common theme: Goadsby et al., Trial of galcanezumab in prevention of episodic cluster headache NEJM 2019; 381: 132-41, and Lipton et al., Rimegepant, an oral calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor antagonist, for migraine NEJM 2019; 381: 142-9.