On behalf of the Editorial Board, we are pleased to present a selection of papers related to the 12th International Symposium on Electric and Magnetic Fields (EMF 2021), held online on July 6-8, 2021.The EMF symposium series, whose first edition was held in Liège, Belgium, in 1992, aims at building a bridge between recent research advances in mathematical and numerical modeling of electromagnetic fields and the growing number of industrial problems requiring such techniques. In the aftermath of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the 12th edition was organized online, and attracted 84 participants from 17 countries.Among the 62 presentations in the symposium program, 24 manuscripts were submitted for peer review. Fourteen papers were selected for publication in this special issue of the International Journal of Numerical Modelling: Electronic Networks, Devices and Fields. The high scientific and technical quality of the symposium is well reflected in the quality of the manuscripts contained in this special issue.Three broad topics were covered during the 12th edition of the symposium. The first major topic considers the mathematical modeling of electromagnetic problems in view of their eventual numerical solution on computers, with contributions on quasistatic time-domain formulations 1-3 and high-frequency formulations. 4 The second major topic treats general methodological advances in numerical methods. 5,6 The third major topic is the application of modeling to the study, design, and optimization of a wide range of technological devices, spanning low-to high-frequency electromagnetic regimes: from magnetostatics 7,8 to electro-9,10 and magneto-quasistatics, 11,12 to full-wave. 13,14 This underlines the spirit of the conference, which encompasses both theory and practical applications.We express our gratitude to all the members of the EMF scientific committee-P.