Tuesday, 5 October Germany Ladies and Gentlemen, since the advent of telephony in the late 19th century until the eighties of last century, telecommunications was almost synonymous with telephony. This has changed dramatically in the past ten to fif-teen years. Today, communications are of a higher quality and, at the same time, are available in a greater variety and at much lower fees. This a big success for all of us who made these im-provements possible! Ladies and Gentleman, Germany has worked within the ITU for over 130 years and we want to continue this tradition in the coming four years. Germany is therefore candidate for the ITU Council for Region B. In this regard, I kindly ask you to place your trust in us. 103