The 5th European Conference on Permafrost 2018 will be held in Chamonix-Mont Blanc (France), 23 June – 1 July 2018. The deadline for abstract submission is approaching fast: 15 November 2017. German colleagues are active e.g. in preparing conference sessions, among others on “Linking terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems in the Arctic: Organic matter, nutrients and pollutants and their lateral transport from permafrost-affected soils” to be co-chaired by Michael Fritz (Alfred Wegener Institute). Please see the conference website at https://eucop2018.sciencesconf.org/.