On behalf of the Organizing Committee and International Programme Committee I extend a cordial invitation to you and your fellow crystallographers to attend the 22nd European Crystallographic Meeting (ECM 22) to be held in Budapest, which takes place in the last week of August 2004. The preparations for the conference are in progress and the scientific programme has been articulated jointly with European Crystallographic Association and the leading persons of the Special Interest Group network. To form the final layout of the programme: keynote lectures, microsymposia and poster sessions we wish to follow the experiences gained in the previous years like in Kraków 2001 and planed for Durban 2003. We intend to serve you with the timetable and full information on the conference details in hardcopy in IUCr Newsletter Volume 11 (3) 2003.

The tiny community of Hungarian crystallographers is honoured by hosting the 22nd European Crystallographic Meeting, exactly 30 years after the 2nd ECM held at the Lake Balaton (Keszthely, Hungary) in 1974. Since then crystallography has changed enormously: the film methods had been replaced by the computer controlled diffractometers, which are now fading out in favour of area detectors and sophisticated tools of X-ray optics, computers of room size are replaced by faster and faster PC-s, new topics of crystallography have developed. We are expecting scientists from all those novel fields and from the classical lines, as well. We welcome all bona fide scientists from Europe and from overseas countries. The Opening Ceremony will feature the announcement of the novel ECA prize winner followed by the lecture of the laureate.

Hungary is situated in the centre of both Europe and the Carpathian Basin with her capital Budapest bisected by the Danube river. Aquincum (presently Old Buda) was the North-Eastern-most castrum of the Roman Empire. The river halted the waves of the Great Migration at the Eastern side of the Danube. The magnificent bridges symbolize now the unity of Europe, East and West. The panorama of the city along the riverside, the ring of the hills, the hot water springs (with excellent medical qualifications) nourishing a chain of swimming pools offer the visitors delightful hours which may be followed by meals in lovely restaurants or cold cellars sipping excellent Hungarian wines. We hope that we can share our City with you, and we are sure you will enjoy your stay.