On 10 and 11 October the IDC celebrated its last Executive Committee meeting of the year in the magnificent city of Budapest. The unexpected death of Wilfried Martens (the president of the European People’s Party, prime minister of Belgium for 12 years, and vice-president of the IDC) was news which deeply affected all the members of the Executive Committee. During the session a minute of silence was observed in his memory and a book of condolences was made available to all members and guests in which they could express their personal feelings at such a sad moment. Work went forward as usual at these meetings, with the participation of the hosting party, Fidesz, as well as that of the Prime Minister of Hungary and IDC Vice-president Viktor Orbán. During the Executive Committee sessions, in the presence of vice-presidents from five continents, several resolutions were passed and issues of international and organizational interest were addressed. The appointment of MEP and IDC Vice-president Alf Svensson was unanimously approved as a new representative before the United Nations Human Rights Committee. The presence of the widow of Honorary Vice-president Oswaldo Payá, Ofelia Acevedo, was a source of satisfaction for all. In addition, former IDC President and Honorary President Jose María Aznar sent a letter of support asking for an investigation of the traffic accident in Cuba in which Oswaldo Payá perished. During the afternoon the second session was held, which featured a forum, “TOWARDS A STRONGER EUROPE”, with the participation of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Italian Defense Minister Mario Mauro, Italian Foreign Affairs Minister Franco Frattini, IDC President Pier Ferdinando Casini, and MEP Michael Gahler. This was a very high-level forum dealing with current issues of great interest during this difficult period for the European Union.