President's report

The first remark to be made in opening this report relates to the large number of discussions, decisions and undertakings since the last Council Meeting held in Zagreb one year ago. The most important results, as a conse­ quence of various brainstorming meetings of the Review and Executive Committee and of the Presidents of National Societies held in Eindhoven in June 1989, as well as the meeting with the Chairmen of the Divi­ sions in Geneva in November 1989, can be briefly summarized as follows: — The Advisory Committees have been replaced by "Action Committees" with a simplified structure and a more active role in topics other than scientific ones related to physics, in order to have more impact and a better visibility of EPS. Subsequent actions taken by the Conference Committee, the ACAPPI and the Publications Committee concerning, for instance, the Europhysics Study Conferences, the relationships bet­ ween EPS and Industrial representatives as well as the visible improvement of Europhy­ sics News, are very promising. Particular attention has been devoted by the Executive Committee to activities con­ cerning Physics and Society. The success of the East-West Workshops held in Torino, September 1989, on "Induced Critical Con­ ditions in the Atmosphere" and in Bad Honnef, February 1990, on "Balances In the Atmosphere and the Energy Problem" stems from a clear identification of the scientific aspects of social problems — a concern which will be extended to other items such as the employment situation of physicists, scientific and technological pro­ gress, etc. Another question was, and still is the action concerning fund-raising: the repla­ cement of the Finance Committee with another body more active in promoting new ways to find financial support for EPS acti­ vities is still under discussion. The present situation has convinced the Executive Com­ mittee to assume all the responsibility itself, with R. Pike as an advisor. Furthermore, a more extended field of action Is being developed for Physics Edu­ cation, which is a topic having a large Euro­ pean interest. — The same is true for the revewed spirit of the Divisions. The meeting in Geneva last November has been an important achieve­ ment, as it represented at least a serious confrontation with a significant participa­ tion in order to discuss the way to extend activities beyond the organisation of topical or divisional Conferences, and to provide EPS with expertise and study-group activi­ ties on a European and International scale. The contribution of Interdivisional Groups such as the one on Experimental Physics Control Systems is of great importance in this respect. The recently formed G roups on Accelerators and History of Physics prove that there are many needs for European activities, and that there are many people prepared to do the work. — The contacts started with UNESCO (Rostena) and the CEC and undergoing rapid evolution are another sign of possible, important impact of the EPS scientific inhe­ ritance on the future policies of European institutions. Concerning UNESCO, the esta­ blishment of the International Advisory Committee on "Energy Storage and Saving” is under way and new common activities with ROSTENA were discussed in Venice on 21-23 March just before the Council Meeting in Uppsala. We have dis­ cussed with the CEC the role to be played by EPS in organising Gordon-type confe­ rences and in participating in SCIENCE PLAN for the management and exploitation of intellectual resources in science. While this represents a large amount of work which should be shared among the EPS divisions, it is also the occasion to play a very important role in the development of physics in Europe. On the other hand, CEC programmes are usually limited to EEC countries and there is only a partial exten­ sion to AELE countries. The fact that EPS is also representing countries in eastern Europe and the Mediterranean rim should be deemed an asset. — The meeting of the Presidents of the Na­ tional Societies, which will be repeated in Uppsala the day before the next Executive Committee and Council meetings, has pro­ vided a specific forum for discussing not only Improvements in the relationships bet­ ween EPS and national bodies, but also the role of the various Societies in making the European physics community stronger. EPS is the only really functioning Society cove­ ring East and West. This fact is mainly reflected in the activities exercised through the Divisions and Interdivisional Groups as well as some of the Action Committees. The immediate goal is to increase the interest of National Societies in better co­ ordinating their traditional roles with stron­ ger help from EPS for more intensive acti­ vity at a European scale in fields such as education and training, professional stan­ ding, social impact and technological stu­ dies. There are many important items which would not exist without EPS in Europe and which could provide the basis for a more representative character to our Society. Fur­ ther discussions are needed following the motion signed by some members of the AMPD. At the moment it is quite unrealistic to change the basic structures of EPS if we take Into account not only the need to preserve the federative link of the national physics bodies, but also the evolution which is in progress in European countries. "Adelante Pedro, com juicio!" Meanwhile, we have to make all possible efforts to persuade people to join as Indivi­ dual Ordinary Members because mergers will become a conceivable possibility when a high proportion of the National Societies' members are lOMs. One of the important tools to achieve such long term goals is Europhysics News. The acquisition of a full-time editor with the task of putting special emphasis on a larger collaboration through correspondents of the National Societies will be help signifi­ cantly. One of the best examples of European collaboration remains Europhysics Letters, for which two National Societies, the French and the Italian, have taken the risk to give up their own journals and to run a new one, thus opening the way to a larger colla­ boration with quite a number of other socie­ ties. The great success of such an enter­ prise Is a clear indication of the impact of EPS on professional aspects of the Euro­ pean physics community. — A number of activities, summarized be­ low on the basis of the reports of the Divi­ sions and the Action Committees, have been performed last year; some of them represent a significant improvement in the EPS spirit of enterprise. A good example is the launching of the Southern European School of Physics which aims at providing advanced training for talented young physi­ cists and promoting North-South and South-South collaboration in physics. Other examples are the promotion of a Mediter­ ranean Conference (on quarks and nuclei) jointly organized by EPS, APS and ICTP, as well as the survey under way on the educa­ tion of physicists at European universities.