We give a survey over the INEX initiative, which focuses on the evaluation of content -based access to XML documents. First, we describe the test setting and the various tracks of INEX. Then we present a new framework for the different views on XML retrieval, where we distinguish between the structural and the content dimension; in this space, current activities are located as well as new areas of research are pointed out. Finally, we discuss the combination of semantic web technologies and XML retrieval, pointing out potential benefits as well as the need for further research in this area.