Dear colleagues,
I am pleased to inform you that the budget of the ESNCH for the year 2004 is stable and sound. Enclosed you will find the balance of the Society account up to December 31st, 2004.
In the year 2004 – for the first time and in contrast to previous years – the current costs of the Society (which continue to be kept at a minimum level) could be covered fully by the income from membership fees. You can follow the development of income from membership fees on the attached graph.
The increased income from membership fees was not only due to the upward adjustment of the fee (from 10.00 EUR to 25.00 EUR as of 2003), but especially to the significantly better paying discipline of the members. I would therefore like to thank all members in good standing for their contribution to keeping the administrative costs and labour as low as possible. At this point I would also like to mention two practical problems that make my work as treasurer more difficult: 1) It is sometimes impossible in the case of foreign bank transfers to match the membership fee to the person. I would like to remind you, therefore, to make sure that the name of the member appears on the transfer. 2) In the case of credit card transfers, please be sure that the complete number of your credit card and the expiration date are clearly legible on the membership form which you received. Your help on these points will be greatly appreciated!
The second part of our financial basis is the income derived from the Society meetings. I am happy to inform you that the last meeting of the ESNCH in Wetzlar was not only a highlight from a scientific point of view. The organizational talent of Professor Kaps and his team also resulted in a great financial success, the receipts from this Congress having improved our financial basis by 11.560 EUR (the income from this meeting will appear on the financial report for 2005). Many thanks to the organizers of this successful meeting, which will also remain in warm memory for its friendly atmosphere.
We are all now looking forward to the upcoming 10th Meeting of ESNCH. I wish the participants a pleasant stay in Abano Terme, Padova and a stimulating scientific exchange.
Yours sincerely,
Eva Bartels
Treasurer