This expansion also reflects the increased availability of **rmation on the impact and burden of these diseases and the significantly improved potential for diagnosis and treatment. The integration of health professional and patient organisations within EULAR has proved to be a considerable stimulus for these advances. The EULAR Congress 2012 in Berlin will once again offer a wide range of topics including clinical innovations, clinical translational and basic science.

    In addition there will be meetings organised by people with arthritis, by health professionals and by the health care industry. The central activity of the congress will be poster presentations and poster tours with their highly interactive exchanges among participants. The Berlin event will further strengthen the reputation of the EULAR Congress as a highly innovative and **rmative venue for clinical and translational researchers not only within the different facets of our discipline （e.g. pain, bone, mechanical and inflammatory disorders） but also for practising physicians who will find updated high-quality **rmation on the management of diseases commonly seen in daily rheumatological practice.