National Societies Committee of EHRA 

Since the founding of EHRA, the National Societies committee has played a spearheading role in building two-way bridges to the working groups focusing on cardiac rhythm management within the national societies of cardiology  to the increasing number of independent arrhythmia national societies for which EHRA plays a crucial European ‘umbrella’ role.

The key ambitions of the NS committee for the period 2011-2013 can be summarised as follows:

1. The EHRA White Book Project (coordinated by Prof. F. Arribas)
2. The Membership Initiative (coordinated by Prof. Ch. Sticherling)
3. The Eastern Initiative (coordinated by Prof. R. Hatala)
4. Annual EHRA Spring Summit Meetings (coordinated by Prof. A. Auricchio and Prof. L.Mont)

EHRA White Book

The EHRA White Book Project became the symbol of a fruitful, mutual collaboration with the National Societies. It evolved into a very useful tool and invaluable source of information mapping the current state of arrhythmia management in all ESC member countries.  Therefore, our aim is to continually improve the quality of data collected in the White Book so it can further fortify its role as the in-depth reference source of health care information related to the all aspects  of cardiac arrhythmias in Europe.

Membership Initiative

We are convinced that joining the efforts to combine the strengths of the National Societies will improve both the sharing of medical knowledge as well as the political influence of EHRA in Europe. Therefore, we aim to even further increase the already rapidly growing number of EHRA members to 2,500 by 2013. To that end, we support the National Societies with meetings and educational material, try to accommodate fees for different members and offer a variety of benefits and services. Members from our non-European partner organisations are also welcome to these benefits. Finally, we will mesh administrative and financial duplication deriving from being a member and a National Society.
Aside from being part of the network of the leading arrhythmia specialists in Europe, membership offers many valuable advantages:

1. Being part of the European EP Training and Education community
   • Possibility to serve as an EHRA accredited device or ablation training centre
   • Becoming an EHRA sponsored fellow at one of the accredited centres
   • Discounts on certification exams
2. Easy access to cutting edge continuous medical education:
   • Free registration to monthly webinars (non-member fee 50 EUR)
   • Reduced fees for EP Europace Journal subscription
   • Reduced registration fees for EHRA educational courses
   • 10% discount on all ESC publications from Oxford University Press (OUP)
3. Being part of and getting involved in important developments in the field of rhythmology in a rapidly changing economic and political environment
   • Voting rights in EHRA elections
   • EHRA quarterly e-newsletter
   • Possibility to join a committee
   • Automatic ESC membership and benefits

Eastern Initiative

There is overall agreement that education of local specialists in clinical cardiac electrophysiology is the key prerequisite for long-term efficacy of all initiatives in fighting sudden cardiac death and developing catheter ablation therapies in most Eastern European countries. The aim of these focused efforts should be an increase in “critical volume” of highly educated and clinically competent cardiologists.  This initiative should generate a favourable milieu for a meaningful development of infrastructure and eventually a sustainable availability of modern cardiac rhythm management therapies across Europe and EHRA affiliated countries.

Crucial components of the Eastern Initiative to achieve these goals can be structured as follows: 

1. “Critical volume” programme
   • To develop networks of competent local electrophysiologists
   • To help with on-site implementation of specific arrhythmia treatment methods such as device implants and / or catheter ablations 
   • To support educational activities, mainly at all national congresses with pre-arranged joint EHRA scientific sessions
2. Political support programme
   • To gain local political support through meetings with health care administrators and key decision-makers.
3. Public awareness programme
   • To organise press conferences, distribute press materials and initiate development of patient organisations and information campaigns for general population.
4. “Device for Life” programme
   • To organize an individualised, country-specific platform for general cardiologists, electrophysiologists, industry partners, politicians and patient organisations, focusing on the fight against sudden cardiac death by means of the general availability of implantable defibrillators.

Annual EHRA Spring Summit Meetings

One of the declared objectives of EHRA is to be the voice of electrophysiology in Europe. To approach this goal, the EHRA Spring Summit Meeting became a regular fixture on the association annual calendar. In the last five years it became the principal forum for leaders of all arrhythmia working groups and arrhythmia national societies in the EHRA countries. The 2012 EHRA Summit Meeting will take place from March 18-20 at the European Heart House in Sophia Antipolis, France, under the title “Post-Graduate Education in Cardiac Electrophysiology in a Changing and Challenging Environment”. The scientific program coordinated by professor Angelo. Auricchio, MD, PhD, FESC and professor Luis Mont, MD, PhD, FESC will be comprehensively focused on topics related to all aspects of professional career development for clinical cardiac electrophysiologists in Europe.  Furthermore, it will be the forum for a series of face-to-face meetings which will allow for decisions on the final shape of several projects managed by the National Societies Committee, especially those related to membership and Eastern Initiative.