Where it all started

EVC begins with prof. Alain Branchereau and prof. Michael Jacobs. In the 1990s, they shared the idea that European vascular surgeons needed something different from the traditional scientific congress: a postgraduate course where experts could discuss not only evidence and outcomes, but also how vascular procedures were actually performed.

The first EVC was held in Marseille on 4–5 April 1997. The first edition focused entirely on one theme, Long-term results of arterial interventions, with an accompanying textbook of the same title, edited by Branchereau and Jacobs themselves.

After three editions in Marseille, Amsterdam was added as location for EVC in 2000, beginning a period in which EVC alternated between the two cities. The annual themes containing carotid disease, critical limb-threatening ischaemia, aortic aneurysms, vascular emergencies, hybrid procedures and endovascular repair reflected an ongoing profound change as endovascular techniques increasingly complemented and challenged conventional open surgery.

For more than a decade, Branchereau and Jacobs were the defining figures of EVC. With Branchereau's retirement around the move of EVC to Maastricht in 2009, this founding chapter came to an end.