Mission
The ESC mission is "to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease in Europe".
Membership
- 50 National Societies of Cardiology
- 5 Associations- European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA), European Association of Echocardiography (EAE), Heart Failure Association (HFA), European Association for Cardiovascular Prevention & Rehabilitation (EACPR), European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (EAPCI)
- 19 Working Groups conduct specific research and educational projects
- 3 Councils
- The ESC Fellowship community (Fellows/FESC and Nurse Fellows/NFESC)
- More than 45,000 individual cardiologist members.
History
- Founded in 1950 by representatives from 14 National Societies (Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and Yugoslavia)
- First General Assembly held during the World Congress in Paris, 1950. ESC Congress then held every four years, organised each time by a different National Society
- Since 1988, the ESC Congress has been an annual event
- In 1993 the European Heart House was built as the official headquarters of the ESC. The European Heart House is based in Sophia Antipolis, near Nice in France.