Presidential address: current state and future prospects of the European Society of Endocrine Surgeons

The European Society of Endocrine Surgeons (ESES) was officially founded in Vienna in 2003, following discussions that began in the late 1990s. Its primary mission is to promote collaboration, research, and education in endocrine surgery across Europe. The society organizes biennial congresses and topic-specific conferences focused on guidelines and consensus statements. ESES has established partnerships with key organizations, including the Eurocrine Society, the Division of Endocrine Surgery (DES) of the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS), and the British Journal of Surgery Foundation, to enhance surgical standards, education, and research dissemination. In addition, ESES collaborates with various international endocrine surgery societies to further innovation and improve clinical outcomes. Recent initiatives include the accreditation of European surgical units as competence centers in endocrine surgery, ensuring high standards in training and practice. The field has seen transformative advancements, such as minimally invasive techniques, precision medicine, improved diagnostics, and multidisciplinary collaboration. These innovations were showcased at the 10th Biennial Congress of ESES in Rome in 2024, which marked the society's 20th anniversary and featured research presentations from international experts. This special issue of Updates in Surgery highlights key contributions from the congress, providing insight into the latest advancements shaping endocrine surgery.