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Chemistry International Vol. 21, No. 1 January 1999   News and Notices from Other Societies and Unions News from the Federation of European Chemical Societies (FECS) General Assembly Istanbul Turkey, 17-18 September 1998 President Elect The President reminded the General Assembly of the provision in the statutes for appointment of the President Elect:   The Executive Committee shall nominate to the General Assembly one individual for appointment as President of the Federation of European Chemical Societies. The individual shall serve for one year as President Elect before taking up the office of President. The President shall serve for a single term of three years and may not be reelected for a second consecutive term of office as President. The President presented the recommendation from the Executive Committee and the General Assembly agreed to appoint Dr. R. Battaglia, New Swiss Chemical Society, to serve initially for one year as President Elect with the effect from the end of the General Assembly and succeed Professor Niinisto as President in September 1999. (See below for a biographical sketch of Dr. Battaglia.) Composition of the Executive Committee The President informed the General Assembly that there were four vacancies for individuals to serve on the Executive Committee for three years from September 1998. He stressed that elected members of the Executive Committee serve in a personal capacity, not as representatives of a member society. The General Assembly accepted the recommendation from the Executive Committee that Dr. R. Darms, Professor S. Gultekin, Professor V. Simanek, and Professor A. Zamojski be elected to the Executive Committee. Membership of the Federation The General Assembly received the circulated application and accepted the recommendation from the Executive Committee that the Lithuanian Chemical Society become a member of FECS. Relations with Other Bodies American Chemical Society Dr. Walter, President of the American Chemical Society, gave a presentation on international links and the increasing interdependency of national chemical societies. He believed that the promotion of global cooperation was a vital role for chemical societies. He outlined his proposal that there should be a 'C7' group of the major national chemical societies, including the GDCh, the RSC, and the Chemical Society of Japan, having special responsibilities since they were better equipped in terms of wealth and knowledge. He proposed that an agenda for such action be discussed in Berlin in August 1999. The President questioned the need for another new organisation in the form of an 'exclusive club', bearing in mind the plans for increased IUPAC activity. Dr. Walter responded by explaining that he saw it not as another organisation but as an opportunity for a group with common interests to compare what they do and see what they could do jointly. He referred to the fact that IUPAC member organisations were often the national academy rather than the national chemical society. The President referred to the existence of the International Council for Chemistry, and Dr. Hayes explained that it was a IUPAC/UNESCO collaborative activity promoting links with developing countries. During discussion of recruitment, Dr. Walter reported that the ACS membership campaign had hitherto been confined to the United States. He acknowledged that extending it to countries in Europe could be perceived as competing with national societies and said he would welcome suggestions on how action could be taken without endangering existing good relationships. It was suggested that reduced fees for members of European societies could be an option. The President thanked the President of the American Chemical Society for his presentation and participation in the General Assembly meeting. General Assembly Dr. Herve presented the invitation from the Association of Finnish Chemical Societies to hold the 1999 General Assembly meeting in Finland and this was unanimously accepted. She confirmed that the General Assembly would be held on 16-17 September 1999 in Helsinki. MORE

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