This year, the European Chemical Society (EuChemS) held its annual meetings in the last week of October, hosted by the Polish Chemical Society and the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. Presidents and representatives of EuChemS Member Societies joined the sessions, together with members of the EuChemS Executive Board, and the Chairs and Board members of EuChemS Professional Networks.
Among the guests, we were honoured to welcome Javier García-Martínez, Chair of the Scientific Committee of the 10th EuChemS Chemistry Congress (ECC10); Professor emeritus Jean-Pascal van Ypersele of UCLouvain, former Vice-Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC); and Professor Silvia Penati, Chair of CoARA-TIER.
During the General Assembly, Member Societies adopted the next budget, closed the financial matters of the previous year, and elected the next President-Elect, Treasurer, and three new elected members of the EuChemS Executive Board.
Wolfram Koch, currently an appointed member of the EuChemS Executive Board, was unanimously elected as the next President-Elect of EuChemS. He will begin his one-year mandate on 1 January 2026, before serving as President (2027–2029) and later as Vice-President (2030–2031).
Hans Peter Lüthi, current Treasurer, was re-elected for a second term and will remain in office until the end of 2028.
The General Assembly also elected three new Executive Board members for their first mandates:
• Gianluca Maria Farinola, President of the Italian Chemical Society (SCI);
• Gill Reid, former President of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC); and
• Sonsoles Martín Santamaría, Secretary General of the Spanish Chemical Society (RSEQ).
Their terms will run from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2029.
The European chemistry community thanks all nominated colleagues for their enthusiasm and willingness to share their expertise for the benefit of chemistry and society at large. We warmly congratulate all those who will soon join the Executive Board — expectations are high!
At the same time, EuChemS expressed heartfelt gratitude to several outgoing colleagues. Floris Rutjes, who has served as Vice-President or President since early 2020, will complete his term at the end of 2025. Nicola Armaroli, whose second term as an elected member concludes this year, has been an active contributor to EuChemS since 2011, notably through his leadership of the Working Party on Energy and Chemistry and his lasting commitment to sustainability. The mandates of Slavica Ražić, Cristiana Rădulescu, and Pat Guiry also come to an end. On behalf of EuChemS, Angela Agostiano, EuChemS President, and Nineta Hrastelj, EuChemS Secretary General, expressed their sincere appreciation to all departing members for their dedication and valuable service. Many memorable moments were captured in photographs, a few of which are shared here as a token of thanks.
The upcoming 10th EuChemS Chemistry Congress (ECC10), to be held from 12–16 July 2026 in Antwerp, Belgium, was among the most discussed topics during the meetings. Javier García-Martínez, Chair of the ECC10 Scientific Committee, and Thomas Vranken, Co-Chair of the ECC10 Local Organising Committee, presented the latest updates on the scientific and auxiliary programmes, highlighting the continued involvement of EuChemS Professional Networks in shaping what promises to be an outstanding event.
Two online lectures, “Telling the Truth to Power” and “Inclusive Research Assessment in a European Perspective”, provided further inspiration and food for thought before participants returned home.
Warm thanks go to Izabela Nowak, host from the Polish Chemical Society and Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, and to Robert Pietrzak, Professor at Adam Mickiewicz University, whose hospitality ensured that the meetings, and our stay in Poznań, will remain unforgettable.
We now look forward to meeting again next year in Belgrade, thanks to the kind invitation of the Serbian Chemical Society.
