The growing concern about global environment and about the quality of local circles of life makes it more then ever necessary to resort to a geographical interpretation of the problems arising all over the world. The geographical societies have an important part to play here. For they not only regroup geographers discussing the questions relating to their discipline and publishing their works in their periodicals but they are also the interface between the world of the geographers and the communities in which they live.
They have already played such a role in the last century, in fact since 1821, when the oldest of them, the "Societé de Géographie" was founded in Paris. It was their aim when carrying on a scientific exploration of the Earth and inventorying its resources. The geographical societies have promoted and sometimes directed research within national, regional or local framework but have also contributed to the diffusion of geographical knowledge throughout cultured circles and have sometimes made their voice heard on public scene. Lastly they have been fighting for the organization or the development of a correct teaching of geography to the different school levels. Nowadays the many geographical societies all over Europe are in a growing measure dealing with questions with an European dimension. Meanwhile they have few contact with each other except indirectly, for example through the exchange of publications. They are hardly heard on the European scene. This is why eleven societies belonging to eleven European countries (Centro de Estudios Geograficos, Geographical Society of Ireland-Cumann Tireolaiochta na Héireann-, Kongelige Dance Geografiske Sleeks, Koninklijk Nederlands Aardrijkskundig Genootschap, Osterreichische Geographische Gesellschaft, Real Sociedad Geografica, Royal Geographical Society -with the Institute of British Geographers-, Società Geografica Italiana, Société de Géographie (Paris), Société Royale Belge de Géographie, Verband der Geographen an Deutschen Hochschulen) have decided to found the European Society for Geography or EUGEO. This was first proposed by the Società Geografica Italiana at the occasion of the meeting it organized in Rome in 1994. The statutes were passed during the IGU Congress in The Hague in August 1996 and the signatures were collected for the official meeting which took place in Vienna in March 1997. EUGEO depends on Belgian law and is in accordance with Belgian legislation on international scientific associations. The registered office is in Brussels. The board is presently made of one chairman (Prof.H.Nicolai, SRBG), two vice-presidents (Prof.L.Buzzetti, S.G.I.; Lord Jellicoe, R.G.S.), one treasurer (Drs.H.de Weert, KNAG) an one secretary general (prof.A.Montanari).
The matter is, among others, to strengthen the role of geography at European level and to make the ones responsible for the European construction conscious of the essential contribution the geographers can bring to them, as well in the field of the population moves as in the field of the regional processes of industrialization or desindustrialization, localization of activities, rural and urban evolution, protection of the environment, etc.
EUGEO will have among its purposes to favour the contacts between the different geographical societies and to insure a better diffusion of the reciprocal information, for example on their projects. It also aspires to be a relay between the-geographers and those responsible for the European construction. The latter mission cannot indeed be fulfilled at present by an organization as IGU, which has a world-wide vocation.
In order to insure the starting of the new organization, it has ben decided to constitute the board of directors of the first four years with representatives of the founding members. The Society will start with four categories of members: Founder, Full, Corresponding (society of a country outside the European Union), Honorary members. The Founders members will initially have a substantial role. They will have special duties and rights in order to secure the necessary commitment to overcome the difficulties of the start-up process. After an initial period, the General Assembly might consider abolishing the category of Founder members and redesignated those affected as Full members.
But EUGEO hopes to gather the largest possible number of societies in order to regroup the most available forces and turn the best account of the diversity of orientations. It is thus open to all geographical societies with a scientific activity. Those are all warmly invited to join it. The regrouping of forces will enable a more effective answer to the demands proceeding so much from members of the civil society as from the political and administrative actors of the EU and consequently will enable EUGEO to be also an effective lobbying organization.