Article I

A Section of Thoracic Surgery has been created by the UEMS Council (Brussels, 20 April 2013). These Statutes define the rules of the Section in accordance with the statutes, declarations and rules of procedure of the UEMS.

Article II

Contents

The contents of the Specialty of Thoracic Surgery entail the following areas: Surgery of the Lungs and Trachea, including Lung Transplantation, the Mediastinal organs, the Oesophagus, the Chest wall, the Diaphragm, and in all adjacent organs where access is facilitated or patient safety improved by the resources of Thoracic Surgery, including cytoreductive/-toxic therapeutic modalities. All surgical procedures demanded in order to conduct these operations and treat the specific complications thereof are also included. A detailed description of the contents will be given in a separate document.

Article III

Nomenclature

The Specialty containing surgery with all or parts of the above definition is variably named within European countries. In some countries, there is a distinct Thoracic specialty, often referred to as General Thoracic Surgery. In other countries, it is known as Cardio-thoracic Surgery, while in others, it encompasses thoracic procedures (including cardiac, vascular, and lung surgeries) and is termed Thoraco-vascular Surgery. The delineation towards other specialties is also variably solved within various countries and hospitals. Thoracic Surgery is recognised as a monospecialty in over one-third of the member states of the European Union (EU), which is the minimum required by UEMS Statutes to obtain the status of a Section within UEMS.

These factual circumstances govern the range of interests of the Section of Thoracic Surgery. The nomenclature adopted in this document is Thoracic Surgery.

Article IV

Objectives

The global mission of the Section of Thoracic Surgery is as follows:

• The study, promotion and harmonisation of the highest level of training, medical practice of Thoracic Surgery and related health care within the member states of the European Union
• The study and promotion of free movement of Thoracic Surgeons within member states the EU
• In compliance with UEMS Statutes, Strategy and Policies, and under the aegis of the UEMS Executive, the representation to EU authorities and any other authority and/or organisation dealing with questions directly or indirectly concerning Thoracic Surgery, and any action that might further the achievement of the aforementioned objectives
• The defence of the professional interests of European Thoracic Surgeons

The Section of Thoracic surgery shall realise its global mission through the achievement of the following aims:

1. to achieve the highest possible level in training of specialists and to promote harmonisation of training and its reglementation within the EU member states
2. to promote life-long learning after completion of specialist training by complying to the appropriate national and UEMS criteria in this respect, in particular concerning Continuous medical Education (CME) and Continuous Professional Development (CPD)
3. to ensure that practice of thoracic surgery is achieved within EU regulations and to follow both harmonization and development of regulations at the European level
4. to promote free mobility of thoracic surgeons throughout European member states
5. to promote standardisation of the structure of thoracic units within the EU member states
6. to promote quality of care by outcome measurements; to stimulate development of European databases
7. to promote equal access to care in thoracic surgery in Europe and to defend the mobility of patients in Europe
8. to develop advocacy of thoracic surgery within the EU member states in close collaboration with the UEMS management council
9. to promote thoracic surgery related research
10. to promote good corporate governance principles amongst leadership in thoracic surgery within the EU member states
11. The Section of Thoracic Surgery shall create a working group named the UEMS Board for Thoracic Surgery in order to:
    • recommend the standards required for the training of their specialists, including definition of syllabus and curriculum
    • make proposals for monitoring quality and content of training and maintaining standards
    • set up criteria which training centres should fulfil and to promote accreditation of training units
    • facilitate the exchange of specialist trainees between training centres of the EU member states to ensure better harmonisation and quality of training
    • Organise a board examination to certify European Thoracic Surgeons.

Article V

Communications with UEMS

1. The Executive Bureau of UEMS shall be entrusted with communicating all opinions issuing from the Specialist Sections and the European Boards to the European Institutions. All initiatives by the Section of Thoracic Surgery in this respect should be taken in agreement with UEMS Council
2. The Executive Bureau of UEMS shall officially communicate with the Specialist Sections and the European Boards on behalf of EU bodies
3. The Board for Thoracic Surgery shall be considered a working group of the Section of Thoracic Surgery
4. The Section of Thoracic Surgery shall submit to UEMS for ratification, draft statutes relating to the membership and functioning of their Section as well as their Board, so as to ensure cohesion between the various specialties
   The Section will be governed by the Statutes of the Specialist Section of UEMS in compliance with UEMS Statutes, Rules of Procedures and Explanatory Notes
5. The Section of Thoracic Surgery includes as members two specialist doctors in Thoracic Surgery as representatives of each of the E.U. member countries, in active practice in the relevant speciality or involved in negotiating on behalf of medical specialists, competent either in English or in French, appointed by their national professional specialist Organisation, their nominations approved by the national Organisation representing specialist doctors of that country within the U.E.M.S. Council. There will also be a representative for the European Junior Doctors
6. The Section of Thoracic Surgery can co-opt a number of experts, as they consider necessary, for the functioning of the various subcommittees. Two members of ESTS and two members of EACTS are co-opted. Their mandates are determined by both societies and are limited to a maximum of two 4-year terms.

Article VI

Appointments of Delegates and Members of the Bureau

1. It is recommended that the appointments as Delegates be made for four years and may be renewed once. The Secretary General of the U.E.M.S. is informed of these appointments
2. The Section of Thoracic Surgery will elect its own Bureau from amongst its number, which is made up of a President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer; these last two offices may be held by the same person. The Bureau is charged with the organisation of the activity of the Section, in particular convening meetings
3. Each mandate of the Members of the Bureau lasts for four years and may be renewed once
4. After each election, the Secretary General of the U.E.M.S. shall be informed without delay of the composition of the Section and its Bureau. If the Section fails to do this, the Secretary General of the U.E.M.S. may convene a Plenary Meeting and take all necessary steps to accomplish or confirm the appointments of delegates by representative national organisations mentioned above.

Article VII

Functioning

1. Meetings
   • The Section of Thoracic Surgery shall meet at least once per year, normally at the instigation of its Bureau, its President or its Secretary, or, if they should fail to do this, of the Secretary General of the U.E.M.S., contingently on request by, at least, a third of the members of the Section
   • The meetings are programmed each year and announced in writing to the General Secretary General of the U.E.M.S. at least three months before the date arranged for the meeting Extraordinary meetings may be called at shorter notice (6 weeks)
   • Whenever he sees fit, the Secretary General or another member of the Council chosen by him may, after first advising the President of the Section, attend the meeting of any Specialist Section or Section
2. Agenda
   The agenda consists of subjects proposed by the Bureau, the members of the Section, and/or by the Council, the Executive, or the Secretary General of the U.E.M.S. The agenda adopted by the Bureau of the Section shall be communicated to the Secretary General of the U.E.M.S. and each member of the Section at least one month before the meeting.
3. Minutes
   The minutes of the meetings of the Section, as well as all resolutions, recommendations, opinions, studies and other documents, are to be sent to the members of the Section concerned, to the Secretary General of the U.E.M.S. and to the Council of the U.E.M.S. within one month of the meeting.
4. Reactions to Minutes and other Documents
   The Council, or the UEMS Executive given mandate for this purpose, shall have the exclusive right to authorise and submit to the authorities of the E.U. the conclusions of studies carried out by the Section of Thoracic Surgery or the motions adopted by the latter. If necessary, the Council shall send back the documents which the Plenary Assembly has considered to be inadequate in substance or form.

Article VIII

Finances

The financing of the Section of Thoracic Surgery is a function of its internal regulations and not a responsibility of the UEMS Council.

The financial means of the Section of Thoracic Surgery shall comprise examination fees, recertification fees, reimbursement of CME evaluations (EACCME®), fees for visitation of training centres, donations and subsidies, legacies and bequests, and other revenues.

The financial year of the Section of Thoracic Surgery starts on January 1st.

The Bureau of the Section shall be bound to account for the financial position of the Section and also account for all matters pertaining to the activities conducted by the Section and do this in accordance with the demands made by those activities and also do this in such a manner that the administration, including the books, documents and other data carriers, shall be kept so that the rights and obligations of the Section may be reviewed at any and all times.

The annual financial accounts and other yearly reporting documents shall be furnished to the UEMS Section of Thoracic Surgery members.

All financial transactions shall be performed via the UEMS Section of Thoracic Surgery account in Brussels.

The Bureau of the Section shall be authorised to appoint an expert in order to have the annual accounts mentioned in the previous sub-section audited.

The Bureau shall be bound to retain the books, documents and other data carriers mentioned in this article for a period of ten years.

Article VIII

Amending the Statutes

The UEMS Executive shall have the authority to suggest to the UEMS Section of Thoracic Surgery to change any of these Statutes. Such changes must, in order to become operative, be communicated to the Secretary General of the UEMS.