The success story of EMC is also a success story of international encounter and transfrontier scien-tific dialogues. The numbers and facts from previous events provide evidence for this statement. The eighth EMC, which is to be held from 14 June to 17 June 2015, will, for the third time, taking place in Düsseldorf. As one of the five best connected economic centers and home to a total of 22 different colleges and universities, Düsseldorf is more than just the state capital of North Rhine Westphalia; it is also the heart of the Rhine-Ruhr metro region. It represents the German industrial heritage, with its roots in mining and the bundled competence of the metal industry. In terms of topics, the conference stays true to its traditions. This year’s theme is: “Production of non-ferrous metals – indispensable foundation for the industry and our prosperity”. Metals are the necessary foundation of almost all industrial production chains. The productivity of the European metal industry keeps holding up the competitiveness of the European industry. This conference empha-sises the significance which primary production and processing still has today. They are still the basis for thousands of jobs and a significant factor contributing to the economic advancement of Germany and all of Europe. This year’s conference focuses on copper, pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy, recycling, as well as special and noble metals. Another important platform for the exchange of new ideas among the European and overseas metal-lurgical societies is the lead-zinc symposium, or Pb-Zn, which will be held in Germany in 2015 for the first time and which is dedicated to the theory and practice of the extraction of these raw materials. This symposium also follows a long tradition and has always been held by one of the most important metallurgical societies. In previous years, it was held in Japan, Canada, and the US. Just like EMC, PbZn is also the focus of the four important metallurgical exhibitions GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS, and NEWCAST.