The European Mathematical Society (EMS) is Europe's professional organization of mathematicians. As declared in the statutes (Article 2,1), the "purpose of the Society is to promote the development of all aspects of mathematics in the countries of Europe, with particular emphasis on those which are best handled on an international level." Its members include both institutions (mainly mathematical societies and academic institutions in Europe) and individuals.
The society was founded in 1990 in Madralin (a country residence of the Polish Academy of Sciences near Warsaw in Poland) after years of discussions which started in Helsinki in 1978 (on the occasion of the International Mathematical Congress) and were conducted within the European Mathematical Council (EMC, an initiative of Sir Michael Atiyah).
Every four years a European Congress of Mathematics is organized. The first was held in Paris, 1992.