The European Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion was founded in 1991 in order to unite European perfusionists in their desire for equality of standards in both training and professional status. For this purpose, a democratic Organization with representatives from the perfusion societies of all European countries which, at that time were members of the European Community (EC) or the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) was initiated. Supporting organizations of the European Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion include the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS), the European Society for Cardiovascular Surgery (ESCS) and the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Anaesthesiologists (EACTA).