We are delighted to welcome you to Brussels for the symposium ‘Plant Health Without Borders’, hosted by the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. This event, which is co-organised with the Horizon Europe EUPHRESCO III project consortium, takes place at the Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences. This unique location vastly reminds us of our task as humans to take care of our planet’s health in all its dimensions. On this very same location, in March 2020, the Royal Mint of Belgium and the Federal Public Service Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment launched a commemorative two EURO coin to promote the International Year of Plant Health. In continuation of that initiative and to build on the idea of ‘protecting plants, protecting life’, the United Nations has designated the 12th of May as the International Day of Plant Health, to draw continued global attention to how protecting plant health can help end hunger, reduce poverty, protect biodiversity and the environment, and boost economic ...