As in previous issues of the journal, WE ARE using this Newsletter to bring you up to date regarding the general affairs of the association following the meeting of Council. This particular letter is very brief, but its contents are very important. Already over the past two years the European Association for Echocardiography has organised European examinations in transthoracic and transoesophageal echocardiography. This Association has now, together with our own Association, organised a European examination in Echocardiography as applied for Congenital Cardiac Disease. Although there is, currently, no legal requirement for such an examination, Council invites all members of our Association currently involved in echocardiographic diagnosis of patients with congenital cardiac malformations to consider submitting themselves for the examination. Successful completion of the examination serves as appropriate quality-control for each individual, and has the added value of protecting our patients from malpractice through investigations by people who are not well trained in Paediatric Cardiology, or Cardiology for Congenital Cardiac Malformations.

Luc Mertens, from Leuven, has taken great efforts, together with some of your colleagues, to develop this examination. More detailed information concerning the examination is given below. We ask all our members to read carefully this document, and also to consult the website of the Association for further upcoming information, which will include registration forms and examples of the specific format for the examination. The first examination is scheduled to take place in Prague in December 2006, during the annual meeting of Euro-Echo. The document has required significant time and effort from Luc and the members of his committee. On behalf of Council, and all the members, I thank them all.