If a boxer is training for the heavyweight championships, there are a number of exercises which help him prepare for the fights. Physical workouts help to achieve a high level of fitness and a "punch bag" helps develop the most important muscle groups. "Sparring" with a fellow boxer or a trainer allows for development of the thinking and quick reactions necessary in the ring. But it is only fighting real opponents, which tests whether the boxer is up to the big match - the Olympic Title Fight!

The ECA Team, (the team of people which represents your interests; Executive Board members, ECA staff and ECA experts) has undergone restructuring and renewal in the last two years. We have become leaner, fitter and we now pack a harder punch as we used to do.

The team has been able to achieve real differences in the outcomes of such relevant topics as flight and duty time regulations, aviation security requirements and the implementation of the new Multi Crew Pilots' Licence. Our involvement at the highest level of negotiations on the EU-US "open skies" talks and our internal organisational ability in the face of multinational airlines are all signs that we are "sparring" well and acquit ourselves effectively when we need to.

But the team is determined to achieve even more. There is a determination within the keen and dedicated staff working on your behalf from our Brussels office; there is a determination in the Executive Board directors elected to represent all our interests from every corner of the continent and the industry. It is our determination that we "raise our game" again - to "train" and prepare for the next level.

In politics and in industrial relations, sometimes we are so concentrating on the day to day challenges in front of us that we can miss a more general change, which alters the whole landscape and requires us to adapt. Every now and then, there is a need to fight for a new arrangement or defend a principle. This is like the four yearly "Olympic Games" for the boxer. Your ECA team has worked hard on the issues in front of us; it has worked hard on its own internal fitness and strength: We believe we have created the core of a fit and strong fighter who is doing pretty well in heavyweight boxing matches.

Now we must prepare for the Olympics!