Besides its role in bladder and kidney cancer, urology plays a leading part in oncology particularly with regard to prostate cancer, the most frequent malignant tumor found in men. The multitude of hereditary anomalies of the urogenital tract and the resultant medical conditions, the importance of urinary tract infections including the still deadly urosepsis, urolithiasis which has become as widespread a condition as diabetes mellitus, and urinary incontinence as an increasing problem of a continuously aging population play such a large role in routine practice that every practicing physician must acquire the necessary skills for appropriate diagnosis and treatment. Is our current curriculum for training and continuing education adequate for this task?The primary goal of a meaningful program for continuing education must be to impart the corresponding qualities to young colleagues to ensure optimal patient care. The specialist certification exam itself should invariably be based nationwide on an objective written test: the existing European Board of Urology exam would be ideally suited to facilitate a comparison with other countries across Europe.