New Year's Message from the EACS President

EACS remains committed to responding to these challenges with a mission focusing on clinical and scientific innovation and excellence in prevention, diagnosis, care, research and education for HIV and related conditions. Key actions focus on transferring knowledge and harmonising standards of care to promote quality and equity across countries and regions. These efforts aim to improve the quality of life of all people living with or at risk of acquiring HIV, and to shape public health policies. The Society’s strategic values and principles are integrity, transparency, respect, inclusivity as well as person-centred approaches, and these principles should be our beacons in the midst of an uncertain period for Europe. 

We will maintain, develop and innovate in our flagship activities, including the EACS Guidelines which are now fully virtual and the European AIDS Conference which will be held this year in Paris with a focus on integrating science and implementation. In 2025, we also aim to launch the HIV diploma which will provide European healthcare medical professionals with an opportunity for certification in clinical care. This aligns with our goal to offer continued education for all career stages, with special attention to early-stage practitioners through the HIV summer school, YING (Young Investigators), medical exchange programmes and online courses and materials. Be sure to watch for new curriculum-oriented online materials to be featured later this year! The highly active and impactful WAVE group, promoting welfare of women living with HIV in Europe, provides an array of workshops, sessions, symposia and wealth of research to reduce the knowledge gaps not only for women living with HIV but also in prevention strategies. 

There is also extraordinary value in the collaboration with our key institutional partner, namely the European Centre for Disease and Control (ECDC) with joint work on country support and the development of European Standards of Care with modules on pre-exposure prophylaxis, HIV testing, antenatal screening, HIV and co-morbidities, and commencement of ART, currently under advanced development. We also seek to strengthen exchanges with international and national societies, as well as with other like-minded organisations and the European Parliament. I strongly hope that these cooperations will not only be continued but also expanded. 

It is also pivotal to further foster collaborations and cherish links with the civil society and key stakeholders, who are the cornerstone of a relevant response and to promote inclusiveness regardless of gender, origin or personal preferences. 

Lastly, the year 2025 brings major governance changes. It is my great honour and pleasure to begin my tenure as EACS president, with a personal mission to bridge clinical and scientific excellence across all regions for the benefit of all at risk or living with HIV. I strongly look forward to this exciting time and will endeavour to commit to EACS’s vision and core values during my mandate. I am lucky to stand on the shoulders of giants - those who have built and maintained EACS to become the key European stakeholder in clinical HIV prevention and care. My special thanks go to Prof. Esteban Martínez, who is stepping down from the presidency, but also to all Governing Board members, the Bureau, and the Secretariat. I also cordially welcome the new board members, wishing you exciting and hard work in the forthcoming years. We will certainly continue to strengthen the EACS family! 

See you, if not sooner, in Paris, at the EACS Conference in October 2025!

Milosz Parczewski
EACS President