Recent advances in the field of hepatitis B encouraged EASL to organize a consensus conference in order to define the state of knowledge and to elaborate recommendations for the management of patients with hepatitis B. An organizing committee drafted questions to be addressed at the conference, developed an agenda and selected the speakers. International experts in the field of virology, epidemiology, natural history, prevention, and the treatment of hepatitis B provided two days of presentation and discussions. The Jury was asked to weigh the scientific evidence and to prepare a consensus statement addressing the following eight questions: 1. What are the public health implications of hepatitis B? 2. What is the natural history of hepatitis B, what are the factors influencing the disease? 3. What is the best way to diagnose and classify hepatitis B? 4. How can transmission of hepatitis B be prevented? 5. Which patients should be treated? 6. What is the optimal treatment? 7. How should untreated and treated patients be monitored? 8. What are the main unresolved issues?