In February 2024, Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology attended the 19th Congress of ECCO (ECCO’24) in Stockholm, Sweden. The meeting, according to the organizers, had >7,200 participants (represented by 99 countries) and focused on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), with this year’s congress theme being ‘Crossing Borders in IBD’.

The ‘crossing borders’ theme tied well with the new REACH strategy launched at the congress. The strategy includes five clear goals to shape current and future ECCO activities: rapid diagnosis and treatment; equitable access to IBD care; attain sustainable IBD care; causes of IBD; and holistic IBD care.