About ESCP

In 2002, the ECCP and EACP Councils agreed to explore the possibility of a future merger into a single European Colorectal Society. A collaborative working group with equal representation from the ECCP and EACP was convened.

Cor Baeten (The Netherlands EACP), Bruno Cola (Italy ECCP), Adam Dziki (Poland EACP), Jaroslav Faltyn (Czech Republic ECCP), Najib Haboubi (UK ECCP), Ioannis Kariatanos (Greece ECCP), Jens Kirsch (Germany ECCP), Anders Mellgren (Sweden EACP), John Nicholls (UK EACP), Hector Ortiz (Spain EACP) Mike Parker (UK EACP), Andrew Shorthouse (Chairman UK).

Following several ESCP development meetings, a draft constitution was prepared and unanimous agreement was reached with the recommendation to the EACP and ECCP Councils that a merger should proceed.

Included in the draft constitution were clauses that ensure fair representation across the breadth of Europe at Executive, Council and Trustee (Company Director) levels. The constitution now provides for a single, academically and politically strong organisation representing European coloproctology, with the potential to eventually match its American counterpart.

Sadly, Jaroslav Faltyn died shortly after the merger committee was formed. Central and East European representation on the Merger Committee was then strengthened further by Dainius Pavalkis (Lithuania), Tomas Skricka (Czech Republic) and Yuri Shelygin (Russia), who joined the Merger Committee.

Their participation and support for the ESCP is vital to the success of the new society in generating significant Central and Eastern European membership. The ESCP must represent the breadth of Europe and must not be elitist.