With a view to highlighting the event’s scientific integration role and its holistic vision of mankind, we have chosen its motto to read as “Internal medicine, art and science in the third millennium”. Furthermore, we believe that the above motto ensures its role becomes essential on account of its coordination function and responsibility in providing tertiary health care. Further to the point, it ensures our discipline’s resolution efficiency continues to be valid in providing primary and secondary health care in areas where there is a distinct lack of sub specialists or where the population segments in need of such are far too demanding. It follows therefore that the subjects for this XXXI congress must address our knowledge updating needs which are steadily stemming from research and clinical work concerned with adult medicine disciplines and areas. Last but not least, at this event we need to highlight also the humanistic and bioethical aspects to be observed in a globalised world.