International

The European System of Veterinary Specialization

Stefano Romagnoli
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ABSTRACT
Veterinary specialist diplomas were available in many European countries during the second half of the 20th century.
However, such an early recognition of the importance of veterinary specialization actually delayed the concept of the
European veterinary specialist in Europe, compared with the United States, where the first specialist colleges were established
in the 1960s, because it was felt that the national system was functioning properly and there was therefore no need for a new
structure in the European countries. The European Board of Veterinary Specialisation (EBVS) was established in 1996, and
currently there are 23 specialist colleges with more than 2,600 veterinarians officially listed in the EBVS register as European
specialists. The Advisory Committee on Veterinary Training (ACVT) approved the establishment of EBVS but never implemented
a supervising body (with ACVT representation). Such a body, the European Coordinating Committee on Veterinary Training,
was later implemented by the profession itself, although it still lacked a political component. Each college depends on the
EBVS, which has the function to define standards and criteria for monitoring the quality of college diplomates. To become a
European Diplomate, veterinarians must have gone through an intensive period of training supervised by a diplomate, after
which candidates must pass an examination. Although the term European veterinary specialist still does not have any legal
recognition, national specialist qualifications are being phased out in many countries because of the inherent higher quality
of EBVS specialist qualifications.

Key words: veterinary specialization, Europe, European Commission, specialist

INTRODUCTION Veterinarians of Europe (FVE) and the Advisory Com-

Veterinary specialization diplomas were available in
several European countries during the second half of the
twentieth century. National systems of postgraduate spe-
cialization in clinical fields of veterinary medicine were
established in Europe as early as the 1960s. Thanks to
the role of these national systems and to the initiative of
those veterinary clinicians who were developing specific
competence in certain fields, the concept of specialization
in veterinary medicine became increasingly recognized in
Europe. However, despite this rapidly developing aware-
ness of the veterinary specialist’s key role, the presence
of these national specialization systems, which were
deeply rooted in each country’s culture, actually delayed
the recognition of the need for a European-level spe-
cialist. Specialist diplomas such as those in radiology or
anesthesia established by the Royal College of Veterinary
Surgeons in the United Kingdom in the early 1960s or
in small-animal medicine established by some Italian uni-
versities in the late 1960s, served a very useful purpose
for more than 30 years. Similar developments in other
countries (such as France, Germany, or the Netherlands)
during the following decades meant that, within each
nation, specialist structures were clearly understood;
therefore, the development of a new structure was more
difficult to accept than if there had been no previous
specialist bodies. 1
In 1989 at the Congress of the World Small Animal Veteri-
nary Association in Harrogate, UK, a group of 26 veteri-
narian experts in fields such as surgery, internal medicine,
neurology, ophthalmology, and dermatology drafted a
document on veterinary specialization. This document
was presented in February 1990 to the Federation of
mittee on Veterinary Training (ACVT). 2 The ACVT,
established by the European Commission (EC) in 1978
to advise on issues related to training in veterinary medi-
cine, was composed of members of the European veteri-
nary academic world, the European veterinary profession,
and members of the EC. The proposed structure for
the organization and recognition of veterinary specialist
training was amended in subsequent meetings, and
the final version of the working document Veterinary
Specialization in Europe was completed in March 1991. 3
A Liaison Committee formed by representatives of inter-
national societies involved in veterinary specialization
harmonized the proposals of the respective societies for
transnational specialization and developed guidelines
for the constitutions and bylaws of their colleges and the
interim regulations for the recognition and training of
specialists. During this process, the European College of
Veterinary Surgery was established (1991), followed by
colleges of ophthalmology and dermatology (1992). In
February 1992, the ACVT unanimously adopted a Report
and Recommendations for the Trans-national Organisation of
Veterinary Specialization, written by the Liaison Com-
mittee on veterinary specialization, which laid down a
structure for the organization of veterinary specialization
in Europe. 4 This structure included the formation of a
Coordinating Committee for Veterinary Specialization,
consisting largely of ACVT members, and a Board of
Veterinary Specialization, consisting of representatives
from all the European specialist colleges. While waiting
for these two bodies (the Coordinating Committee and
the Board of Veterinary Specialization) to be established,
a rapid growth of European specialist colleges occurred,
with colleges such as avian medicine and surgery,

334 JVME 37(4) 6 2010 AAVMC

 neurology, internal medicine, anesthesia and analgesia,
diagnostic imaging, and pathology being established in
a relatively short period (1993–1995).
Unfortunately, the EC never implemented the ACVT’s
recommendations and actually disbanded the ACVT in
2000. Therefore, the veterinary profession itself took the
initiative in 1996 to set up a European Board of Veteri-
nary Specialization (EBVS), 5 but the supervising body,
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the Coordinating Committee for Veterinary Specializa-
tion, could not be established because of the absence of
ACVT representatives. However, the lack of support from
the EC has not prevented the expansion of veterinary
specialization in Europe.
CURRENT SYSTEM FOR VETERINARY SPECIALIZATION
IN EUROPE
Presently, the system of veterinary specialization in
Europe is based on the 1992 ACVT recommendations.
The report emphasized the need for a clear distinction
between a specialist qualification and any other kind of
particular expertise, and there was also agreement that
veterinary specialist qualifications could only be based
on ‘‘substantial and measurable training.’’ 3(p.2-3) A dis-
tinction should be made between European societies
covering a specific field of veterinary medicine and Euro-
pean colleges. The societies are interest groups open
to anyone interested and are quite distinct from the
colleges, which are only open to proven specialists in
their discipline.
The EBVS is an organization formed by one represen-
tative from each specialist college currently present in
Europe. It started in 1994 and was officially registered as
a nonprofit organization at the Chamber of Commerce in
Utrecht (the Netherlands) in 1996. The board has mem-
bers and observers. The members are the specialist col-
leges, and each college recognized by the board has the
right to appoint one representative and one alternative
representative. All the EBVS members meet each year
in April in a general assembly in Brussels (Belgium)
and elect among themselves four members of the EBVS
executive committee (president, vice president, secretary,
and treasurer). The observers are the European Associa-
tion of Establishments for Veterinary Education (EAEVE),
the FVE, and the American Board of Veterinary Specialties
(ABVS). Observer organizations have the right to appoint
one representative, who is invited to attend the EBVS
Table 1: The objectives of the European Board of Veterinary Specialisation (EBVS)
1. Define guidelines for the recognition and registration of specialists in areas of veterinary medicine in Europe*
2. Recognize and monitor veterinary specialty colleges in Europe
3. Award the title of European Veterinary Specialist in (name of specialty) to veterinary specialists who meet the EBVS criteria
4. Maintain a register of specialists recognized by the EBVS
5. Provide information on specialization in veterinary medicine in Europe to authorities, private organizations, veterinarians, and
owners of animals
* The specialty area must be supported by scientific knowledge and evidence-based medicine; therefore, the establishment
of veterinary specialties in fields for which there is no evidence of clinical effectiveness is not possible.
JVME 37(4) 6 2010 AAVMC
general assembly. Observers of the ACVT were also
originally included, but this organization is no longer
functional.
All colleges depend directly on the EBVS, which defines
guidelines for the recognition of specialist areas, co-
ordinates the foundation, monitors the activity of each
college, and maintains a register of college diplomates
(which bears a legal value with the EC) thus ensuring
the quality of college diplomates. Also, EBVS promotes
public knowledge about the veterinary specializations and
helps diplomates when they have to fight in national
courts to have their title recognized officially (Table 1).
With regard to identifying the specialist areas in veterinary
medicine in Europe, it is important to realize that the spe-
cialty area must be supported by scientific knowledge and
evidence-based medicine. Therefore, the establishment of
veterinary specialties in so-called complementary and
alternative fields of veterinary medicine for which there
is no evidence of clinical effectiveness (such as veterinary
homeopathy) is not possible.
EBVS actively collaborates with the other two organiza-
tions representing our profession in Europe, the EAEVE 6
and the FVE. 7 Although the supervising Coordinating
Committee (with ACVT participation) has not been offi-
cially established because of the ACVT’s dissolution, the
EBVS has continued to promote the concept of a Coordi-
nating Committee for Veterinary Specialization, seeking
contacts with FVE and EAEVE. This led in 2005 to the
establishment of the European Coordinating Committee
on Veterinary Training (ECCVT). The ECCVT is formed
by three representatives (president, secretary, and one
other member) from the executive committee of the three
separate bodies and is currently considered the most
important committee for our profession at the European
Union (EU) level (Figure 1); its main functions are to
ensure a connection between our profession and the EU
by (a) dealing with the official recognition of specializa-
tion; (b) ensuring the exchange of information on con-
tents, level, assessment, and structure of undergraduate
and postgraduate training in veterinary medicine; (c)
promoting and implementing the principle of evaluation
of quality in veterinary medical training; and (d) estab-
lishing minimum requirements for postgraduate qualifi-
cation. The ECCVT meets twice a year in Brussels, and
the chair of the meeting rotates among the three organi-
zations. It is estimated that FVE, EBVS, and EAEVE
together represent approximately 250,000 veterinarians
in Europe.
335

Figure 1: The European Coordinating Committee for
Veterinary Training (ECCVT) is formed by three repre-
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sentatives (president, secretary, and one other mem-
ber) from the executive committee of the three
separate bodies (Federation of Veterinarians of Europe
[FVE], European Association of Establishments of Veteri-
nary Education [EAEVE], and European Board of Veteri-
nary Specialisation [EBVS]). The ECCVT is the official
reference for the veterinary profession with the Euro-
pean Commission.
REQUIREMENTS FOR ESTABLISHING A
EUROPEAN COLLEGE
To be established, a European specialist college must
demonstrate the ability to (1) improve the veterinary
medical service offered to the public in a specific aspect
of the veterinary profession; (2) represent a distinct and
identifiable specialization of veterinary medicine; (3) ful-
fill a specific need in the veterinary profession; and (4)
count on a sufficient number of potential diplomates. If
these conditions are satisfied, a request is sent to the
EBVS with a Statute and Policies and Procedures. If the
EBVS approves the proposal, a provisional recognition is
granted for a period of 10 years. To be granted full recog-
nition, a provisional college must demonstrate that it
is fully functional, having properly organized training
institutions and examinations with normal and standard
residency programs.
DUTIES OF A EUROPEAN COLLEGE
In general, the constitutions and bylaws of all Euro-
pean colleges are very similar and include the following
objectives:
e To establish guidelines for experience prerequisites
and post-graduate training to become a specialist in
a defined field of veterinary medicine;
e To examine and certify veterinarians as specialists;
and
e To encourage research and dissemination of
knowledge.
A European specialist college must ensure that each diplo-
mate has undergone a specified, high-quality training and
can prove her or his ability in the veterinary profession at
a specialist level by passing an examination. Therefore,
each college must
e Organize training programs at recognized
institutions;
e Monitor the quality of training programs; and
e Organize and administer the diplomate
examination.
336
Furthermore, every five years, each college must go
through the process of re-certification, by which each
diplomate must prove her or his continuous activity as
specialist during the previous five years through publica-
tions, teaching in continuing education events, super-
vision of residents, serving on college committees, and
so forth.
THE EUROPEAN SPECIALIST COLLEGES
EBVS is currently composed of 23 specialist colleges,
divided according to discipline (internal medicine, sur-
gery, anesthesiology, pathology, etc.), animal species
(bovine, swine, poultry, etc.), or organ or function (neu-
rology, reproduction, dermatology, dentistry, behavior,
etc.). The first colleges were established in 1991–1992
and provisionally recognized in 1996, and currently there
are more than 2,600 diplomates in the various colleges in
Europe (Table 2).
HOW TO BECOME A EUROPEAN DIPLOMATE
Before the foundation of a college, those veterinarians
who have been working (and publishing) for years in
the same discipline (or topic or organ or animal species)
may be considered for the role of founding members,
can join the college as invited specialists, or both. Sub-
sequently, during the first five years after the college’s
foundation, those who have a curriculum vitae of a satis-
factory level may apply to be recognized as a de facto
diplomate. From the sixth year onward, the only way to
become a diplomate is by working in close contact with a
diplomate for a period of at least three years. Such a
training period is called residency, and the veterinarian
going through a residency is called a resident.
Residencies can be standard or alternative. Standard
residencies may only be done at a training institution
that has been formally recognized and accredited by the
college. Training institutions are generally (but not neces-
sarily) located at a university and may, for some colleges,
require the presence of diplomates in more than one dis-
cipline (i.e., a training institution in diagnostic imaging
must have diplomates in diagnostic imaging and also in
internal medicine, surgery, and pathology). The resident
must work for at least two-and-a-half years full time in
close contact with a diplomate and must publish at least
two papers in scientific, refereed journals during this
time. For each resident, the training program must be
approved by the college, and each resident’s supervisor
must send an annual report on the advancement of her
or his candidate’s training. Before starting a residency,
candidates are required to have gone through an intern-
ship, which is a minimum of a one-year term of flexible,
rotating clinical training in veterinary medicine beyond
the professional degree. An internship is composed of a
broad range of clinical assignments within one of the
major divisions of veterinary medicine. Internships must
be truly organized as a rotation, involving a wide range
of clinical activities, and should be conceived as a train-
ing program for the intern rather than a service benefit
for the clinic. An internship is a fundamental prerequisite
of all clinical colleges. Non-clinical colleges have to define
the length and type of training that must precede entry
JVME 37(4) 6 2010 AAVMC
 Table 2: Progressive composition (number of specialists) for each of the 23 specialist colleges present in
Europe from 1996 until December 2009
College 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
ECVAA 13 51 59 59 63 68 80 79 83 89 89a 99 105 108
a
ECVD 14 27 30 29 30 34 34 40 47 55 59 62 64 73
ECVDI 33 45 53 58 66 78 79 96 100 105 113 123 130 143
ECVIM-CA 25 68 85 102 111 121 129 143 154 167 185 210 229 245
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ECVN 24 39 39 42 43 44 48 56 64 67 75 90 97 109
ECZM 8 10 15 17 18 22 21 26 24 24 25 29 29 57
ECVO 25 32 32 32 41 41 40 48 50 55 58 63 64 65
ECVS 125 146 131 161 180 197 221 241 264 287 311 339 368 400
ECVP 142 226 224 231 225 214 257 297 254 276 296 281 301
ECVPT* 13 12 13 45 57 56 62 63 57 59 59 59 64
EVDC 9 12 14 14 15 16 16 20 21 21 24 27 27
ECAR 35 70 145 171 182 188 169 185 187 191 205
ECVCN 17 17 24 34 34 36 35 36 37 37 40
ECLAM 7 19 35 73 74 77 80 83 83 82
ECVPH* 34 64 138 187 254 260 254 244 233
ECEIM 15 24 40 57 63 71 70 85
ECVBM-CA* 6 6 6 14 16 24 24 27
ECVCP 37 43 55 65 68 78 71
ECBHM 21 64 101 114 186 192 201
EVPC* 121 125 132 168 171 170 169
ECPHM* 13 22 48 63 81 100
ECPVS* 6 9
ECSRHM* 11 26
Total 267 582 694 803 936 1,124 1,263 1,700 1,936 1,971 2,306 2,538 2,640 2,840
EC ¼ European College; VAA ¼ Anesthesia and Analgesia, VD ¼ Dermatology, VDI ¼ Diagnostic Imaging, VIM-CA ¼ Internal
Medicine (companion animals), VN ¼ Neurology, ZM ¼ Avian Medicine and Surgery, VO ¼ Ophthalmology, VS ¼ Surgery,
VP ¼ Pathology, VPT ¼ Pharmaco-Toxicology, VDC ¼ Dentistry, CAR ¼ Animal Reproduction, VCN ¼ Comparative Nutrition,
LAM ¼ Laboratory Animal Medicine, PH ¼ Public Health, EIM ¼ Equine Internal Medicine, VBM-CA ¼ Behaviour (companion
animals), VCP ¼ Clinical Pathology, BHM ¼ Bovine Health and Production, PC ¼ Parasitology, PHM ¼ Swine Health and
Production; PVS ¼ Poultry Veterinary Science; SRHM ¼ Small Ruminant Health and Production.
* These colleges are still provisionally recognized. For the two colleges of poultry veterinary science and small ruminant
health and production (which were provisionally recognized in 2008), the de facto procedure is still open, which means that
those veterinarians who have sufficient qualifications based on their curriculum may apply to be recognized as diplomates
without having to take the examination.

into a residency program, because a resident is not meant
to be a recent graduate but shall rather have gone
through a period of post-graduation training.
Alternative residencies may not necessarily require an
approved training institution. The three years of time
spent working with a diplomate may be divided into
as much as seven years, and a close contact with the
supervisor is required for prolonged periods of time
only during the last three years. Before the start of the
alternative residency, a request for partial retrospective
acknowledgment of the activity of the first four years
may be presented to the college by the resident through
the supervisor. Before accepting an alternative resident,
the potential supervisor must send to the college a spe-
cific proposal for a training program, guaranteeing that
the training objectives will be met.
At the end of the (standard or alternative) residency,
all candidates must pass an examination, after which
they can obtain the title of European diplomate. Only
veterinarians who are allowed to practice in Europe
can go through a residency program and take the exam
(although this requirement may be waived at the discre-
tion of the college’s Credential Committee).
LEGAL VALUE OF THE EUROPEAN SPECIALIST TITLE
Despite the fact that there is no legal protection for the
title of specialist and EBVS has no monopoly on spe-
cialization, it is important to realize that the competent

JVME 37(4) 6 2010 AAVMC 337


Figure 2: The European Veterinary Specialist Logo is
a trademark registered by the Office of Harmoni-
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zation in the Internal Market; published in the
Community Trade Marks Bulletin No 054/1999,
page 605; and owned by the European Board of
Veterinary Specialization.
authority of a EU country cannot discriminate against
other EU nationals if they have a specialist qualification
that is of equal or even higher standard than their own.
The rights of EU citizens to establish themselves or to
provide services anywhere in the EU are fundamental
principles of EU law. Council Directive 89/48/EEC pro-
vides a general system for the recognition of higher edu-
cation diplomas. The only indirect way of providing
some form of legal protection for an EBVS specialist is
by using the EBVS logo (Figure 2). EBVS owns this logo
and permission to use it has to be formally requested
using a form available on the EBVS Web site. The use of
this logo is only allowed to diplomates who are regis-
tered in the EBVS register as fully active specialists.
The fact that the EBVS specialist titles are of a very high
standard makes it impossible for any European country
to refuse to accept these titles. Currently, diplomate quali-
fications awarded by European colleges can be used in at
least 14 European countries (Belgium, Czech Republic,
Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Nether-
lands, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, and United
Kingdom) and are already officially recognized in several
of these countries. Since 2009, French authorities officially
recognize specialist diplomas of those colleges that are
fully recognized. On a number of occasions, a diplomate
from one of the European colleges has successfully ap-
pealed in court a decision by the competent national
authority that was of the opinion that a diplomate title
from one of the European colleges could not be used.
In Germany, this led to the situation that the national
authority now allows European diplomates to use their
titles officially. If, however, these diplomates wish to
receive the German national specialist qualification,
they then have to apply on an individual basis to the
Bundestierarztekammer (National Veterinary Chamber of
Germany).
CONCLUSIONS
The legal recognition of the European veterinary special-
ist title remains an area of concern. The most important
issue would be to formally incorporate a representative
of the EC within the ECCVT, but efforts in this direction
have so far produced little if any result. Currently, the
only legally recognized specialist titles in Europe are
those of the human medical fields. This implies that
the term veterinary specialist is not legally protected,
and therefore any veterinarian who has acquired some
338
knowledge in a specific area of veterinary medicine can
use the term specialist. Although this situation shares
some similarities with the legal recognition of the term
veterinary specialist in the United States, the difference
overseas is that ABVS is recognized, monitored, and
funded by the American Veterinary Medicine Associa-
tion (AVMA); therefore, only ABVS diplomas can use
the words AVMA approved.
The lack of a European association with political influence
and control power over the veterinary profession similar
to the AVMA has so far precluded the legal recognition
of the European veterinary specialist title. However,
there is a tendency to phase out national specialist quali-
fications (e.g., in the Netherlands, France, and the United
Kingdom) in favor of the EBVS system, because EBVS-
related qualifications are generally of a higher standard
than national qualifications. For instance, in the United
Kingdom, for those disciplines for which there is a Euro-
pean college whose qualifications map directly to a UK
diploma, the UK diploma will be phased out once that
European college gains full EBVS recognition. Diplomas
that are not going to be phased out include those relating
to areas that do not directly map to a European college,
such as the UK diploma in equine orthopedics, which
is about lameness and orthopedic surgery, whereas
the ECVS diploma, in the case of large animals, is about
orthopedic and soft tissue surgery.
However, the different European geographical areas show
different trends in the phasing out of national specialist
qualification. In southern Europe, national qualifications
leading to diplomas featuring the word specialist are
still sought after, and national veterinary chambers and
veterinary bodies alike (academia, etc.) continue to offer
them, despite an increasing awareness of the importance
and significance of EBVS diplomas.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The author thanks Prof. Eric Teske, Department of Clini-
cal Sciences of Companion Animals, Utrecht University,
The Netherlands, and Prof. Stephen May, Dept of Veteri-
nary Clinical Sciences, University of London, UK, for
their help in reviewing the manuscript and updating the
information contained therein.
REFERENCES
1 Halliwell REW. The historical background to
veterinary specialization. In: Advances in veterinary
specialisation in Europe. Vol 1. Bonn: Beta Verlag; 1994.
p. 4–7.
2 Rijnberk A. Veterinary specialization in Europe in
1993. In: Advances in veterinary specialisation in Europe.
Vol 1. Bonn: Beta Verlag; 1994. p. 8–10.
3 Advisory Committee on Veterinary Training
[ACVT]. Interim report and recommendations on
veterinary specialist training in the European
Community. EC Doc. No. III/F/5329/4/90.
4 ACVT. Report and recommendations for the trans-
national organisation of veterinary specialisation. EC
Doc. No. III/F/5285/5/91.
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 5 EBVS: European Board of Veterinary Specilisation
[Internet]. Limal, Belgium: European Board of Veterinary
Specialisation; c2008 [cited 2010 May]. Available from:
http://www.ebvs.org.
6 About EAEVE [Internet]. Vienna, Austria: European
Association of Establishments for Veterinary Education;
c2010 [cited 2010 May]. Available from:
http://www.eaeve.org.
http://jvme.utpjournals.press/doi/pdf/10.3138/jvme.37.4.334 - Friday, July 01, 2016 3:25:24 AM - Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria IP Address:193.145.150.119
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Stefano Romagnoli, DVM, MS, PhD, Dipl. European College
of Animal Reproduction, is Past President, European Board of
Veterinary Specialization, and Professor of Clinical Veterinary
Reproduction, Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences,
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Padova,
Agripolis, Legnaro 35020 (PD) Italy.
E-mail: Stefano.romagnoli@unipd.it.

7 FVE: Federation of Veterinarians of Europe

[Internet]. Brussels, Belgium: Federation of Veterinarians
of Europe; [cited 2010 May]. Available from:
http://www.fve.org.

JVME 37(4) 6 2010 AAVMC 339