The UEMS (European Union of Medical Specialists) (1) was founded in 1958, one year after the treaty of Rome. Its goal was to defend the interests of European medical specialists in the emerging Europe. Since 1975 cooperation exists with the EC Advisory Committee on Medical Training (ACMT). In the nineties European boards were created and also the surgical specialties followed this development. The first surgical specialties to manifest themselves were vascular surgery (1996), colorectal surgery (1998), and trauma and thoracic surgery (1999). By now the Section of surgery of UEMS has developed a clear structure and has defined its goals as follows: 1. Harmonisation of surgical training, 2. Provide a standard certificate of specialist training, 3. Continuous medical education, 4. Surgical quality control. The UEMS promotes a model of surgical training based on a common trunk followed by specialisation in specialties (breast, coloproctology, endocrine, general surgery, HPB surgery, surgical oncology, transplantation, trauma, vascular and hand surgery). A division was created for each of these specialties. Due to the increased international migration of superspecialists and the absence of national certifications there is a high need for an internationally recognized exam for these specialties. The UEMS divisions fill this need by organising examinations and certifications at a high level. For HPB surgery the examination exists since 2008 and shows an increasing number of participants. It consists of two parts. The first part is the “eligibility” which means that a certain number of conditions (2 years training in a European training center, publication activity in the field, credit points for postgraduate training, a certain number of operations) are fulfilled. The second part is an exam (multiple choice exam followed by an oral exam in the fields of liver, pancreas and bile duct, spleen and portal hypertension). This second part is a tough exam where the candidate can prove his knowledge and judgment to European experts in the field of HPB surgery in Europe. The result is a diploma that, although it has no legal value as such, is a guarantee of a high level of knowledge in the field of HPB surgery. For transplantation surgery the examination exists since 2007 and is also very popular amongst young surgeons in the field. The major difference is that here there is a possibility to limit the exam and the diploma to different modules: organ procurement, kidney, pancreas, liver. The following step in this quest for quality is the certification of training centers, a move which the division of transplantation surgery has started already. The activity of the UEMS and its divisions to develop demonstrable quality is very important because it is a move which comes, not from the green table of European bureaucracy, but from within the profession. The support of scientific organisations (EHPBA for HPB surgery and ESOT for transplantation surgery) are important guarantees both for the scientific quality and for the value of the diplomas. All together, the UEMS exams provide a fantastic chance to young surgeons to demonstrate and document their knowledge in the face of the increasingly open European market for medical specialists.