The European Association of Urology (EAU) is a non-profit organisation committed to the representation of urology professionals worldwide. All active urology professionals, including urology nurses, are eligible for membership of the EAU.
The constituent bodies of the EAU include the:
Decisions made by the EAU General Assembly are implemented by the EAU Offices. The Executive Committee and EAU Offices are assisted by the EAU Central Office, which is based in Arnhem, The Netherlands, and run by the Executive Management. The European Academy of Urology is the advisory body to and of the EAU. The Academy consists of members who have previously had official responsibilities within the EAU.[citation needed]
The EAU maintains close contacts with national urology organisations who represent the interests of urologists at a national level worldwide. These independent national organisations are crucial as they support the EAU and its European activities, for example the Annual EAU Congress and 'Urology Week', which is organised annually to raise awareness of urological conditions throughout Europe, within the healthcare professions and the general public.
Urology associations in the Asia-Pacific, Latin America, the Middle East regions welcome opportunities for bilateral exchanges with EAU members with regard to training, education and other areas in urology. Ultimately, this exchange will benefit the entire specialty. During the Annual EAU Congress, a specific day has been allocated to 'Urology Beyond Europe' (see www.uroweb.org), the sessions held during this day will reinforce collaboration between the EAU and other urology societies worldwide.
Other ongoing collaborative projects involving the EAU include the European Multidisciplinary Meeting on Urological Cancers (EMUC), which is organised in association with the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) and the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ESTRO). EMUC brings together world experts in the field of urological oncology, thus providing the opportunity to increase our knowledge and improve our approach to a wide range of topics, including biology, prevention, diagnosis, therapy and quality of life. An additional example of EAU collaboration with another organisation for the benefit of urology is the World Health Organization (WHO) Consensus Conference on bladder cancer, which was held in April 2008.
The European Association of Urology Nurses (EAUN) aims to contribute to the development of higher standards of urology nursing in Europe. EAUN members receive a series of free publications and benefit from additional privileges, such as the fellowship programme.