An established tradition--the Eighth Congress of the Balkan Association of Nephrology, Dialysis, Transplantation and Artificial Organs (BANTAO) Belgrade, Serbia, 16-19 September 2007

The 8th Congress of the Balkan Association of Nephrology, Dialysis, Transplantation and Artificial Organs (BANTAO) took place, from 16 to 19 September 2007, in Belgrade, Serbia. After the seven previous successful congresses and this latest one in Belgrade, we are convinced that BANTAO has become firmly established as a professional and cultural phenomenon. Born in Ohrid 1993 and followed by the congresses in Varna (1995), Struga (1997), Belgrade (1998), Izmir (1999), Thessaloniki (2001), Varna (2003) and Ohrid (2005), the Congress in Belgrade showed that the BANTAO idea can be considered as a true marker of our regional communication and collaboration, and as the major forum of Balkan nephrologists, with around 500 participants. Balkan nephrologists have recognized and taken advantage of working in a world without political boundaries; we also have the support of the European Renal Association/European Dialysis and Transplantation Association (ERA/EDTA) and the International Society of Nephrology (ISN), which comes in recognition of our efforts and achievements in attaining the best results for our patients on local and regional levels. The Congress was attended by 456 physicians (nephrologists, nephrology fellows, transplant physicians, cardiologists, internal medicine specialists) from the Balkans, Europe and Asia. In addition to the support of the ERA/EDTA and ISN/COMGAN, the Congress was held under the patronage of their Royal Highnesses Prince Alexander of Serbia and Princess Katherine. In the fields of epidemiology of renal disease, clinical and paediatric nephrology, haemoand peritoneal dialysis, kidney transplantation and apheresis, there were 60 invited guest lecturers and 47 oral and 137 poster presentations. The programme included four educational symposia, two ERA/EDTA courses, three Balkan symposia, six round tables (one ISN/COMGAN) and six keynote lectures; many distinguished nephrologists presented the latest achievements in different fields of nephrology. Importantly, for the