The Wonca Europe Executive Board met in Malaga (Spain) early February for a regular meeting. Aside from the normal order of business such as evaluating the Basel 2009 conference (very successful), meeting with the organizers of the Malaga 2010 conference (well on its way and exciting), reviewing activities in the different European networks and Wonca Europe Special Interest Groups (WESIGs), some other subjects needed more lengthy discussion. This is a short report on these topics.
The European Journal of General Practice is on its way upward again. Dr Jelle Stoffers, the new Chief Editor since June 2009, has succeeded in improving the performance of the journal. He reported an increased number of submissions in the last months of 2009, a shortened review time and he projects to deliver issues on a regular basis. The Wonca Europe executive was very pleased with these achievements and remains very supportive of the journal, as it is an important platform to demonstrate the developments in General Practice/Family Medicine. Links between national family medicine journals and The European Journal of General Practice can strengthen the European collaboration.
The Research Agenda as prepared by the European General Practice Research Network (EGPRN) and presented in Basel is receiving many positive comments. The task for the near future will be to use the agenda in respective countries and on the European level. Other Wonca regions have shown interest and the Research Agenda will be on the programme at the World Wonca Conference in Cancun (Mexico) coming up in May. Once again, Wonca Europe is leading in strategic planning for the future.
The financial situation of Wonca Europe remains stable and healthy. Projections for a five-year period show that Wonca Europe can continue to support its usual activities. The Wonca Europe Council will vote on the budget for the years 2010–2012. There will be money available for Wonca Europe Bursaries for the Wonca World conference in Prague 2013. However, a decision will only be taken after a detailed evaluation of the Cancun bursaries. Wonca Europe has received more then 100 applications from all parts of the globe and is happy to support family physicians and family medicine worldwide.
The Wonca Europe EB also discussed the future of its organization. The debate was sparked by questions from the Council on the composition of the EB as the landscape of Europe has changed. In the last several years we have witnessed the inception and development of the Vasco da Gama Movement (VdGM), the organization of trainees and young doctors. Furthermore, a number of special interest groups became official parts of the Wonca Europe family as so-called WESIGs.
The question is how Wonca Europe can accommodate these changes. That leads to questions as: should WESIGs also be members of the Council? Should the composition of the EB be altered to give place to other groups such as VdGM? Moreover, can a Council be expended without losing effectiveness? The Wonca Europe EB will set up a small (3 person) group to come up with suggestions for the future. Any suggestions are welcome, of course.
All this means that Wonca Europe is alive and well.