The Second Consensus Conference on Stroke Management took place from 22 to 24 March 2006 in Helsingborg, Sweden. The meeting was arranged by the International Stroke Society, endorsed by the European Stroke Council and International Stroke Society, and co-sponsored by the WHO Regional Office for Europe. It was arranged in collaboration with the European Region of the World Confederation for Physical Therapy and the European Association of Neuroscience Nurses. The patients' organization Stroke Alliance for Europe also participated. The meeting adopted the Helsingborg Declaration 2006 on European Stroke Strategies, a statement of the overall aims and goals of five aspects of stroke management (organization of stroke services, management of acute stroke, prevention, rehabilitation, evaluation of stroke outcome and quality assessment) to be achieved by 2015.