Section V EUROPE The European Section strives to increase member retention through localized humanitarian, scientific and social activities. tion. We speak French but also a multitude of languages. The city is renowned for its festi- vals, events, good food and vibrant cultural life. International events such as the Thessaloniki Interna- tional Trade Fair and the Thessa- loniki International Film Festival are held annually. Thessaloniki is also home to numerous notable Byzan- tine monuments, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and several Roman, Ottoman and Sephardic Jewish structures. The city’s main universi- ty, Aristotle University, is the largest in Greece and the Balkans. I am delighted to invite all of you to come to Thessaloniki during the 2019 Section V Meeting and have the opportunity to stroll on the wa- terfront of the Thermaic Gulf, visit the monuments, look at the spec- tacular sunsets, and stare at mount Olympus, the mountain-home of the ancient gods just across the sea. President’s Greeting Argirios Pissiotis I t is a distinct privilege and honor for me to serve as President of the European Section and to have the pleasure to host the 64th Annual Meeting of the Section in my hometown, Thessaloniki, Greece. Thessaloniki is the second larg- est city and port in Greece with about one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, located in central Northern Greece at the northwest- ern corner of the Aegean Sea and in the vicinity of the beautiful resort area Chalkidiki. Thessaloniki is also Greece’s second major economic, industrial, commercial and political center; it is a major transportation hub for Greece and southeastern Europe, notably through its port. It is a city, both provincial and in- ternational, historically independent with a very cosmopolitan popula- Registrar’s Report Mauro Labanca Section V Europe is celebrating this year its 64th anniversary as an au- tonomous Section of the ICD. As in the previous years, the main con- cern of the Section is the growth of its Districts and through this growth, the consequent growth of the Sec- tion itself. The European Section nowadays numbers 14 Districts and is present in 36 countries in Europe with 595 Active Fellows, 41 Life Members, 10 Masters and six Hon- orary Fellows. District Growth Although the Section implemented the decision in 2017 to install mem- bership committees in each District following the initiative of the Inter- national Council, the total of Active Members remained the same as in 2017 (595) despite the 44 new in- ductees in Geneva. It seems there is a need to find a way to retain the membership, which appears to be equally important as recruiting new ones. The Section asked the Districts to find ways to retain their members by organizing local events to get the Fellows more involved in their Dis- tricts’ activities. Humanitarian Projects The Board of Regents decided to continue to support the running projects in collaboration with the NGO Mundo a Sorrir with Miguel Pavao and Colors of Calcutta with Dr. Luis Jane Noblom, of Spain. It also decided to finance two new projects: one in the south of India providing four dental units for two hospital clinics in Bathalapalli and Kanekal, Anantaur, and the second JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE OF DENTISTS SECTION REPORTS 3 4