WELCOME ADDRESS - WOWEREIT

I would like to welcome everyone attending the 2nd European Congress of Immunology to Germany’s capital city. I am delighted that you have chosen to hold this important scientific meeting in Berlin this time. This is a wonderful tribute to Berlin’s many advantages as an international trade fair and congress venue.

At the same time, the fact that leading immunologists from all over Europe are convening here to learn about and discuss both the latest research and current issues and challenges in your field can also be regarded as a tribute to Berlin as a center of science.
 
Berlin’s long history in the field of medicine is the foundation of the city’s development today as a modern health care capital. We are continuing to build on our strengths, from health care services, medical education, and top biomedical research to high-quality products in medical technology and pharmaceuticals. You will find first-rate specialists and expertise in the field of immunology, too, at the venerable Charité or in many of the facilities of our state-owned hospital corporation Vivantes.

At the same, however, international exchange is playing an ever greater role in this area in particular. I am therefore very pleased to welcome the many specialists meeting here in Berlin for this purpose. In this spirit, I would like to wish you all a productive congress and, for those from outside Berlin, a very pleasant stay and the opportunity to get to know some of the German capital’s many cultural highlights.


Klaus Wowereit
Governing Mayor of Berlin