The European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) is a membership organisation devoted to the practice of cardiothoracic surgery. The mission statement of the association is to advance education in the field of cardiac, thoracic and vascular interventions; and promote research into cardiovascular and thoracic physiology, pathology and therapy, with the aim to correlate and disseminate the results for the public benefit. Within the EACTS there is a large number of committees working on various issues in order to improve cardio-thoracic surgery.