Origin of ECBA

In 1975, the biologists associations of the different countries of the EEC have been fede­rated in the European Communities Biologists Association (E.C.B.A.).

This formation of an association was timely, since the progressive development in the multilateral relationship between the different states of the EEC, established in the Agreement of Rome in 1957, which resulted in common monetary, economic and social policies and which aimed a free movement of professionals in Europe, had led some other bodies of free professionals to come to an understanding of joint activities and cooperation.

Furthermore, the practice of the political and administrative bodies of the European Commission to negotiate with European, and not with national bodies, strengthened the basic move to build an association.

The initiative came from three directions: Professor Haupt of the Verband Deutscher Biologen (VDBiol) of the Federal Republic of Germany contacted Dax Copp of the Institu­te of Biology (lOB) of the United Kingdom, exploring the prospects of closer integration of activities among biologists associations in Europe He experienced that lOB already had planned to invite professional biologists organization to a meeting in London. At this meeting in spring 1974 it was learnt that the Italian Ordine Nazionale dei Biologi was in a preparatory status to move toward Brussels with the attempt to unify professional biologists associations on an European basis. These initiatives made it easy to promote a biologists association in Europe. After a further meeting in Milano in fall 1974, the “Euro­pean Communities Biologists Association (ECBA)” was then formally founded in October 1975 in Bonn (FRG) in the presence of D. Copp, P O’Donoghue, and D. Breeze (UK), D. van der Mei and L. Vlijm (NU, J. A. Kavanagh (Irelan d), P del Vecchio and G. Moretti (Italy), G. Gijsels (Belgium), P. Picard (EEC), L. H. Grimme and W. Haupt (FRGl.)