1. Introduction
   

 Welcome to the third electronic issue of AIDA Mail. We hope you are finding the new and improved format to be satisfactory. As we are now able to incorporate a variety of styles, including photographs, we once again appeal to our readership to forward any submissions for inclusion to our editorial team, whose details you will find below. In particular, can we entreat those of you with digital cameras to take them along to your next National Chapter meeting, Working Party or Colloquium, and capture some shots of our esteemed AIDA colleagues in action. Everyone in the global AIDA community will enjoy an opportunity to link names with faces, and it seems to be universally agreed that the inclusion of pictures does make for a more interesting AIDA Mail!

There has been much activity since the last issue of AIDA Mail, which updated on the news from the 2002 World Congress in New York. In particular the VIII Iberio-Latin-American ('CILA') Congress was held in Rio de Janeiro from 30 April to 2 May 2003. During the CILA Congress, the AIDA Presidential Council also met, and a report can be found herein. Of particular significance was the presentation of the President's "Work Plan" for AIDA 2002-2006. A summary of the key points is included in this issue of AIDA Mail; the full text can be viewed on the AIDA website.

A number of working parties also met during the CILA congress, and reports on the meetings of the Reinsurance Working Party and Accumulation of Claims and Subrogation appear in this issue. A further report, taken from the Motor Insurance Working Group bulletin, on that group's recent activities is also included; the full Motor Insurance Working Group bulletin is available on the website.

Sadly, during the last year, the AIDA Presidential Council lost two of its active and loyal members - Professor Doctor Reimer Schmidt, Honorary President, and Dr Brando Battistig, Assistant Secretary General. Tributes to both are included in this issue of AIDA Mail. More recently, the association has also lost Professor Doctor Eduardo Steinfeld, a former president of the Argentina Chapter, and Dr. Juan Achurra Larrain, an honorary president of the Chilean section.

AIDA's National Chapters continue in their activities: aside from the considerable efforts of those who are members of CILA in relation to the recent Congress, we also have updates on developments in Romania and Hungary. All National Chapters are urged to forward 'News' for inclusion in future AIDA Mails.

Co-operation with other International Insurance Organisations: we have been asked to draw your attention to a major event to be held in Barcelona next year. The DRI, ADTA, FDCC and IADC organisations are hosting, for the first time, a Joint International Conference in Barcelona from 10-11 May 2004 at the Hotel Arts Barcelona. Their program includes US and European Perspectives on Product Liability and Insurance Issues. A link to the full programme and registration details can be found here.

Also, our colleagues at the DRI have requested that we draw the attention of AIDA's members to the forthcoming Australian conference "Tort Law Reform in Australia and the United States", in Sydney, Australia, from 15-16 January 2004. Full details of the programme can be found here.

Finally, may we remind all regular readers of AIDA Mail, if you have not already done so, please register your details via the AIDA website. This will ensure that you receive email notification as soon as the next AIDA Mail is published.