Who can apply
Any Affiliated Cardiac Society or other professional body with an interest in cardiovascular medicine may apply to the ESC for Affiliated Membership. Any request for affiliate membership must be institutional, as opposed to individual.
The professional body needs to be an established and well recognised cardiology organisation, with democratic rules, Board, committee, and be considered as the main organisation of its kind in the country.
How to apply for affiliation
An official request can be sent by email or mail to the National Societies Relations Office, at the European Heart House - see contact details here
An official letter of request (preferably on official letterhead) from the President or Secretary of the organisation must be addressed to the Director of the Membership Department at the European Heart House, or to the President of the ESC, confirming the consensus and motivation for affiliation from the board on behalf of the members.
This letter must be accompanied by the following documentation in English about the organisation:
- Official statutes / by-laws (a summary in English is accepted, if the statutes are available in national language only)
- Names and roles of current board members
- Contact information for the office and board members
- Board and membership structure
- Brief history of the organisation
- Resources, such as web site, journals published (web addresses, no of issues, English version available, etc..)
- Details of main activities: congresses, working groups, regional entities
Approval process
Each application is reviewed and a decision to accept or reject it is made by the ESC Board, and then announced during the ESC General Assembly each year. The affiliation is official only counting from this meeting, which takes place during the ESC Congress (late August – early September every year)
A Memorandum of Understanding document, stating the rights and duties involved, will be signed between each new Affiliated Cardiac Society and the ESC, during a meeting for Affiliated Cardiac Societies at the ESC Congress.
Throughout the process you will be kept informed by the ESC Membership Department and you can send any questions you may have to our central email address: affiliates@escardio.org