Brussels, the 1 million inhabitant capital of Belgium, and home of the European parliament, is also the center of European decision making, which will create unique opportunities to connect SETAC science with environmental policy. Due to its central location, traveling to Brussels is very easy and fast, both by plane and train, with over 200 direct international flight connections and a less than 2-hour high-speed train travel from Paris, London, Amsterdam and Frankfurt.

You will also enjoy the SQUARE conference center experience, on the “Mont-des-Arts” (mountain of arts), with its spacious conference rooms, newest conference technologies, panoramic views of the city, its direct accessibility from Brussels central train station (15 minutes from the airport), and its proximity to lodging and the historic city center (<10 minute walk).

The Scientific Committee is dedicated to build a not-to-be-missed scientific programme. Given the complexity of multiple stressors (chemical, biological, physical) and stressor combinations in the environment, and the vast amount of biodiversity requiring protection (species, ecosystem structure and functioning), the key to successful and efficient environmental quality management will hinge upon transdisciplinary collaboration between environmental and human toxicologists, environmental chemists, and scientists and policy-makers from a diversity of disciplines, including conservation biology, ecology, human health, engineering, sociology, law, and economy.

The overarching theme of the meeting is therefore “environmental quality through transdisciplinary collaboration”.

As such, the SETAC Europe Annual Meeting in Brussels will be the number one meeting place in 2017 on environmental science, where ecotoxicology, toxicology, environmental and human exposure, risk assessment and management, environmental policy and economics, and life cycle assessment topics will be presented. We are sure that this will stimulate discussion and debate among academia, business, industry and government representatives and will enable valuable inter- and transdisciplinary networking.

We welcome you in Brussels, a cultural and touristic hotspot, and the city of surrealism of which many will say that it was there that the philosophy of “L’ art-de-vivre” (“The joy of living”) was invented. You will appreciate the Magritte museum (just outside the conference Centre) and over 80 other museums, the historical Center with its “Grand place” (UNESCO World Heritage Site) and many other architectural diamonds, including buildings and monuments in Gothic, Baroque and Art-Nouveau styles. You will also enjoy terraces on sunny squares and cobblestone streets, nightlife, delicious local food and a choice of hundreds of Belgian beers, or a walk in the close by Zoni&#235;nwoud forest. Brussels is also a good starting point for joining the 100-years commemoration of World War I (in Ypres and surroundings) and discovering close by and equally vibrant, historic and medieval cities, like Ghent, Bruges, Antwerp, Liege, and Maastricht. Within the unique context of Brussels and surroundings, the Local Organizing Committee  is working very hard to offer our participants an exciting social activities  programme.

We warmly welcome you to Brussels and promise you an exciting scientific programme, lively entertainment and great social events in a typical Belgian atmosphere.