From May 27th to 29th, the annual congress of VEUKO, the Federation of European Associations of the Tiled Stove Builder and Stove Fitter Trade, was held in Ismaning near Munich. The event was organised by the German association GVOB, which provided an excellent programme and ideal meeting facilities. It is particularly noteworthy that, with the support of the sponsors Brunner, Hagos and GVOB, the organisers succeeded in putting together an extremely cost-effective overall package. This resulted in record attendance, particularly from countries with lower purchasing power.

The main topics discussed were legislation, the importance of EN 15544 (One-off tiled mortared stove – Dimensioning), marketing and social media. Dr Johannes Gerstner, a recognised German expert in political lobbying, made an interesting contribution on this subject.

It was encouraging that specific objectives could also be established. VEUKO Vice-President Thomas Schiffert advanced the initiative for a “European Day of the Tiled Stove”, with the support of VEUKO President Robert Salvata. For 2027, October 15th is intended to be designated as the date. Although a small number of countries would prefer a date in early October due to holiday periods, many countries have already confirmed their participation. In addition to Austria, at least Estonia, Italy, including South Tyrol, France, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary will take part. Most of these countries are already aligning themselves with the Austrian date this year, October 16th, 2026.

The 2027 VEUKO Congress will take place in June. The Austrian Tiled Stove Association will host the congress in Vienna, where the association is headquartered.