EuCheMS—or soon EuChemS, meaning European Chemical Society—coordinates the efforts of more than 40 member chemical societies representing altogether around 160,000 chemists in academia, industry, and professional organizations. EuCheMS’ current President, Pilar Goya Laza, Instituto de Química Médica (IQM), Madrid, Spain, writes in her Editorial in Nachrichten aus der Chemie, the membership magazine of the Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker (GDCh, German Chemical Society), about the importance of chemical societies, today and in the future.

Chemical societies should make better use of the opportunities provided by new communication technologies, especially for publication practices and reaching out to the general public. According to Goya Laza, chemical societies have to act as an umbrella, as a “supra-organization” linking all disciplines of chemistry. This is very important in a time of increasing inter- and multidisciplinary boundaries and of a growing number of subdivisions and fragmentations of chemistry.

The European Chemical Society strongly promotes its European dimension. A recently published position paper on Brexit highlights that research and industrial competitiveness across the EU greatly benefit from a good relationship between the EU and the UK.

In August of this year, there will be the 7th edition of the European Chemistry Congress, held this time in Liverpool, UK. Pilar Goya Laza invites chemists to get involved and share the European mission.

• Synergy moving forwards,
  Pilar Goya Laza,
  Nachr. Chem. 2018, 66, 483–483.
  https://doi.org/10.1002/nadc.20184074996
• Event: 7th EuCheMS Chemistry Congress