Major changes in the statutes of the European Society of Cardiology.

Important changes to the statutes of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) were introduced on the occasion of the annual ESC congress in Vienna in September 2003. The Extraordinary General Assembly held at the annual congress approved massively the most important changes ever proposed to the constitution of the ESC over the last 20 years. These changes were necessary in order to offer the possibility of better and more far-reaching development in the different areas of expertise of our discipline. The changes paved the way for the official creation of two new Associations, one in the field of echocardiography, and the other in electrophysiology, created from the merged Working Groups on Arrhythmias and Cardiac Pacing. Associations are registered branches of the European Society of Cardiology. They can be derived from Working Groups or from professional or sub-specialty organisations existing outside of the ESC. The aim is to promote the development of a defined area of expertise in cardiovascular medicine and/or research. Associations can be created by the General Assembly of the ESC once an official request from one of these organisations has been formally approved by the Board of the ESC. Associations can be created if the number of members of the applicant organisation is greater than 250, provided that the organisation in question already has one of the following activities: subspecialty journal, sub-specialty congress; as well as current and future funding to support their activities. Associations will have a President and a Board, and all the other structures necessary to run their activities, such as a congress programme committee, an education committee, etc. Associations can have their own logo, which must be compatible with the ESC principles. They can recruit members and collect membership fees, organise congresses, scientific and educational activities, as well as recommend approval of professional skills and, of course, collaborate with other professional organisations in the same field. Associations will be a part of the legal entity that is the ESC, and will therefore be subject to the same rules as regards financial management and fiscal position vis-à-vis French law. They will be run according to the rules of Corporate Governance and the ethics of the ESC. Their branding and image will be consistent with that of the ESC. Naturally, the Associations will remain major contributors to the core activities of the ESC. This implies that the Associations, and the other constituent bodies of the ESC, will contribute to each other’s activities wherever necessary, and particularly with regard to congress activities, journals, education, guidelines, surveys, etc.