Read the president’s message and invitation below. 

All members of the EHS are invited to the EHS General Assembly 2025.

The meeting will be held Thursday 5 June 2025 at 18:15h-19:30h in the EHS Congress venue. 

Dear member of the EHS

On behalf of the European Hernia Society (EHS) board, we extend a invitation to join us at the General Assembly (GA) in Paris on 5 June 2025. Your presence is highly valued as we discuss various significant topics and interact with our esteemed members.

The General Assembly is one of the most important yearly events for the Society and offers members a unique opportunity to gain insight into the organisation’s development, influence future directions, and take part in key decisions.

This year’s General Assembly marks a number of important transitions and new beginnings for the Society. The official handover of the position of Secretary General from Andrew de Beaux to Cesare Stabilini is one of them. In his final report, Andrew de Beaux will also present several proposals for the future structure of the Society, including the formation of a new Young Surgeons Committee and the introduction of new positions on the EHS Board – such as Secretary for Quality and Secretary for Guidelines.

In addition, the current EHS President Maarten Simons, will open the meeting with a presidential address, reflecting on highlights and milestones from his term. He will later officially hand over the role to the new EHS President, Salvador Morales-Conde, who will present his vision for the coming years in his first presidential address.

The Assembly will also include annual reports from the various EHS Secretaries, covering key areas such as education, research, congresses, publications, digital media, member relations and collaborations with societies across Europe. These updates will include the announcement of the 2025 EHS Travel Grants and Research Grants, as well as the presentation of newly associated societies.

We strongly encourage all EHS members to attend the General Assembly and actively participate in shaping the future of the Society. Your voice matters – and your involvement helps ensure that the EHS remains a strong, inclusive and forward-looking organisation.

We look forward to welcoming you in Paris.

To be ratified:

Proposed Treasurer 2025: Guillaume Passot (France) (Taking over from: Yohann Renard, France)

Proposed Sec for Guidelines: 

Proposed Sec for Quality: 

Maarten Simons

EHS President

Andrew de Beaux

EHS General Secretary 

EHS ORDINARY GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2025

5 June 2025 18:00-19:15 CEST, Paris, France
Palais des Congrès de Paris

1. Presidential address Maarten Simons (The Netherlands)
2. Secretary General annual report (Andrew de Beaux, UK).
   • Annual Report
   • Official handover to the new General Secretary (Andrew de Beaux to Cesare Stabilini)
   • Proposed New Advisory Committee: Young Surgeons Committee
   • Proposed New Positions to the EHS Board
     • Treasurer (Guillaume Passot, France)
     • President Elect (René Fortelny, Austria)
     • Secretary for Quality
     • Secretary for Guidelines

3. Treasurer annual report (Yohann Renard, France)
   • Official handover to the new Treasurer, Guillaume Passot
4. Annual Reports of the Secretaries
   • Secretary for Congresses (Umberto Bracale, Italy)
   • Secretary for Digital media (Prev Website and Social media) (Alexis Theodorou, Greece & Hakan Gök, Turkey)
   • Secretary for Education (Knut Borch, Norway)
     • Announcement of the EHS Travel grants 2025
   • Secretary for Publications (Sónia Ribas, Portugal)
   • Secretary for Research & Science (Prev Science) (Frederik Berrevoet, Belgium)
     • Announcement of the EHS Research grants 2025
   • Secretary for Societies and Members (Bernd Stechemesser, Germany)
     • Announcement of new Associated Societies
   • Ambassador for Eastern European Countries (Maciej Smietanski, Poland)
   • Editor in Chief of JAWS (Manuel Lopez-Cano, Spain)
   • Secretary for UEMS (Ferdinand Köckerling, Germany)
5. Announcement and ratification of the EHS Congress venue 2029
6. Official Presidential handover (Maarten Simons, The Netherlands)
7. New Presidential address (Salvador Morales-Conde, Spain)
8. Questions and remarks