In 2008, the first EHRA White Book of Cardiac Electrophysiology in ESC was published. The project had been launched in an attempt to assess the status quo of treatment of arrhythmias in all ESC member countries and in order to have a platform for a progressive harmonisation of access to arrhythmia treatment in all ESC countries. The cooperation of the national societies was so enthusiastic, that we were able to report 37 countries in the first edition. With the two most recent editions the number of contributing countries has even increased.
With information from the White Book on insurance and reimbursement systems, thenumber of centres performing different interventions and implantations and other data , we were able to enjoy very interesting discussions on “Health Care Disparities in Europe: the case of arrhythmias” during our annual EHRA Summit last year. The book serves also as a continuous reference for all our initiatives and efforts in education and training.
As stated in the previous editions, data has been collected from various sources that 
are cited in the White Book and most importantly, all data from third parties have been confirmed and authorised by each chairman of the national society or working group, respectively. Due to the continuous update we always present the most recent data for each year. This is why data for 2008 may differ slightly from one edition to the another . In addition, the online version of the White Book is updated each time the country reports new data.
It is part of the task and privilege of EHRA to foster scientific discussion, create standards for education and training and offer help wherever necessary to harmonize treatment and access to the treatment of arrhythmias within its hemisphere. We are grateful to each of you who have worked so hard to accomplish this third edition and now we are very confident that with this new White Book we have set the ground for a continuous EHRA annual book.
We would like to express our appreciation to the European Heart House staff and to the representatives of each of the national arrhythmia societies or working groups who made this project possible.
It is our sincere hope that all the different parties involved in patient care in the field of arrhythmias will find this book both helpful and interesting. Should you have any recommendations or feedback concerning the White Book, please do not hesitate to contact us.
We look forward to working with you again in 2011.
EHRA White Book was made possible with the aid of an unrestricted educational grant from BIOTRONIK SE & Co. KG