Why is cooperation between European chemical societies so important?
With more than 50 societies, European chemistry is too fragmented. More and more decisions, and a growing part of our research funding, will come from Brussels. There has to be a rallying point for chemists in Europe otherwise chemistry will be neglected by European politicians. A strong single voice for the 150 000 members of national chemical societies is needed. EUCHEMS provides this umbrella structure and it will be far more effective than the individual societies on their own. The very successful 1st EuCheMS European Congress in 2005 was a showcase for chemistry in Europe and highlighted future directions. I was happy to be part of it. What are the highlights of your career so far? Every day brings new advances. There is no single event in a career that I could look back at and say ‘that is a highlight of my career.’ Highlights are the discoveries that are made, some planned, many by accident. The highlights are often the recognition of unexpected results. What do you do in your s
