The primary mission of the Association is to be one of the premier organizations for surgical science and scholarship and to provide a continental forum for presenting the developing state of the art and science of general and sub-specialty surgery and the elevation of the standards of the medical/surgical profession. This mission is accomplished primarily by conducting an annual scientific meeting consisting of selected presentations containing the most current information available on clinical and research topics related to surgery or surgical specialties, including studies on outcomes, practice of surgery and ethical and other issues that affect its practice.

The Annual meeting of the European Surgical Association is designed to provide comprehensive educational experiences in the fields of clinical surgery, experimental surgery and related sciences, surgical education and the socioeconomic aspects of surgical care. It is the Association's intent to bring together at this meeting the leading surgeons and scientists from Europe and other continents to freely and openly discuss their latest clinical and research findings.