The 13th International Congress of the ESVV took place in Portorož, Slovenia, from September 2^nd to 5^th 2025. This event brought together several hundred scientists, mainly from Europe. The European Union Reference Laboratory (EURL) for Foot-and-Mouth Disease was invited to deliver a keynote during the EPIZONE session. Guillaume Girault (Head of the EURL) presented the epidemiological situation of Foot-and-Mouth Disease in Europe in 2025, highlighting outbreaks identified in Germany, Hungary and Slovakia. He also shared recent advances in diagnostics, particularly the development of real-time PCR tests for strain identification. His presentation sparked numerous discussions with attending researchers and helped emphasize the crucial role of European National Reference Laboratories, as well as the EURL, in managing these outbreaks. It also served as a reminder that Foot-and-Mouth disease remains a persistent threat to the European Union, and that preparedness and cooperation are essential to combat this disease.