From the October 1968 issue

Formation of the European Physical Society
On the afternoon of 26 September, the European Physical Society EPS was officially inaugurated in the Aula Magna of the University of Geneva, bringing to a successful conclusion discussions on an idea started at Bologna in November 1965 and carried forward at meetings in Pisa, CERN, London, Geneva and Prague.

The seat of the Society is in Geneva and the Secretariat is located at the Institut Battelle in Carouge.

On 25 September a final discussion at CERN, under the Chairmanship of the Director General, Professor B Gregory, cleared the remaining points on the Constitution, and on the morning of 26 September more than 40 leading physicists in Europe and 18 National Physical Societies were enrolled in the EPS.
The Constitution states:
“The purpose of the Society is and shall be to contribute to and promote the advancement of physics, in Europe and in neighbouring countries, by all suitable means and in particular:
a) by providing a forum for the discussion of subjects of common interest;
b) by providing means whereby action can be taken on those matters which it appears desirable to handle on the international level. 

“The Society will concern itself with such things as the co-ordination of Conferences and Summer Schools; the co-ordination of European physics journals and the publication of a Bulletin; the exchange of experience and information relating to physics teaching; the exchange of scientists between physics centres in Europe.” 

Information on the foundation of EPS, its history and developments since 1968 until today can be found in the special issues 49/2 and 49/3 of our magazine EurophysicsNews (EPN).