European Crohn's and Colitis Organisation (ECCO)

The European Crohn's and Colitis Organisation (ECCO), founded in 2001 to improve the care of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in Europe, is now the largest forum for specialists in IBD in the world. It is a non-profit association, which successfully expanded from an organisation comprising 14 Country Members to an association assembling 36 member states of the Council of Europe and facilitating collaborations beyond Europe's borders. In 2009, they introduced individual membership allowing anyone around the globe interested in IBD to both benefit from their programmes and services and to join us in their mission.

Mission:
ECCO's mission is to improve the care of patients with IBD in all its aspects through international guidelines for practice, education, research and collaboration in the area of IBD.

What they do:
• Influence IBD management through the development, publication, dissemination, and teaching of IBD guidelines and other educational materials.
• Facilitate and promote the education of health care professionals in the field of IBD (including physicians, surgeons, radiologists, pathologists, endoscopists, nurse specialists, dietitians and allied professions).
• Organise national and international scientific and educational programmes in the field of IBD.
• Enhance the quality of research in the field of IBD, both in basic science (e.g. organising pathogenesis workshops) and clinical science (e.g. development of IBD study protocols).
• Promote and support national and international IBD research efforts.
• Are a political voice in Europe and collaborate with organisations sharing an interest in IBD including medical societies, patient organisations, and industries.
• Participate in the activities of the United European Gastroenterology Federation (UEG) and in the annual United European Gastroenterology Week (UEG Week).