This biennial meeting is a permanent forum in the framework of the bilateral scientific and technological agreement between the Italian and Hungarian governments aiming at promoting new collaborations among the spectroscopists of the two countries as well as at presenting to the analytical community new analytical methods and the results of joint research projects. Not a minor aspect of this undertaking is that it fosters mutual knowledge, understanding, and esteem. The present edition of this traditional symposium, which featured 42 oral and 20 poster presentations, was mainly devoted to analytical techniques in environmental chemistry. Guest speakers invited from Austria, Germany, and Spain further expanded the coverage of the event. In the plenary lectures various aspects of speciation were discussed with special emphasis on hyphenated techniques (HPLC/ICP-MS, HPL/ICP-AES; IC/ICP-MS) and extraction procedures to determine species of As, Cr, Se, and Sn in marine and terrestrial matrices. Other lecturers highlighted the importance of aerosol research by means of GC-MS, TXRF, or NAA techniques. Part of the talks were focused on the recent developments of analytical methodologies in the effort to protect human health and to perform biomonitoring with particular regard to their role in the assessment of exposure and health risks. During the Symposium 12 manufacturers exhibited their latest products in analytical equipments and ancillary instrumentation. A special word of thanks goes to the representatives of both the Hungarian Chemical Society and the Kossuth University for careful preparation and excellent organization of the scientific and social programs. The generous financial support of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, the Eo ¨tvo ¨s University of Budapest, and the National Committee for Technological Development is also acknowledged.
The symposium was organized by the Eo ¨tvo ¨s Lora ´nd Tudoma ´nyegyetem (ELTE), Budapest; the Kossuth Lajos Tudoma ´nyegyetem (KLTE), Debrecen; and the Instituto Superiore di Sanita ´(ISS), Rome, with the cooperation of the Magyar Ke ´mikusok Egyesu ¨lete (MKE), Budapest; the Magyar Tudoma ´nyos Akade ´mia Ko ¨myezeti Ke ´miai Munkabizottsa ´ga (MTA-KKM), Budapest; the Magyar Tudoma ´nyos Akade ´mia Spektroke ´miai Munkabizottsa ´ga (MTA-SM), Budapest; the Debreceni Akade ´miai Bizottsa ´g Analitikai Ke ´miai Munkabizottsa ´ga (DAB-AKM), Debrecen; the Debreceni Agra ´rtudoma ´nyi Egyetem (DATE), Debrecen; the Orsza ´gos Mu ¨szaki Fejleszte ´si Bizottsa ´g