Dear all, I want to take this opportunity to wish you a very Happy and Successful New Year! ... and to quickly inform you that the Executive Board of the RIPE NCC met on 16 December 2002. During the meeting a number of issues that were brought up on this mailing list some weeks ago were discussed. A major focal point was on easing members' participation in the annual General Meeting of the association. Various possibilities ranging from electronic voting to moving the date of the meeting were considered. Another topic was the presentation of budget lines in documents like the Annual Report and Activity Plan, as well as possible improvements to the current Charging Scheme. No final decisions have been taken yet, as a substantial amount of further discussions and preparations are expected. I will present more details, and give an outlook onto the RIPE NCC actions in the coming year, during the plenary at the upcoming RIPE Meeting. kind regards, hope to see you in Amsterdam, Axel