About the Balkan Physical Union

The Story of the Balkan Physical Union

The Balkan Physical Union began in 1985 as a non-profit organization without any governmental sponsorship. The idea was to provide a coalition of scientists from the Balkan region who could collaborate on projects and research to present impartial studies in various fields of science. The organization was started by two professors, from Romania and Yugoslavia respectively, who desired to see a unification of scientists for the promotion of scientific research.

Though the specific aim of the BPU was science, it hoped to do much more than simply research. The Constitution lays out a list of five primary purposes, one of which is to promote friendship and peace between the diverse populations of the Balkan region, as well as joint efforts in studies and research among its scientists. The area of scientific study was focused primarily on physics, but this is by no means a limited field.

The Constitution was presented and adopted two years after BPU’s formation at the first official Balkan Physical Union council meeting. Among the signers were emissaries from a similar organization known as the Balkan National Physical Society. The countries of Romania, Greece, Albania, Yugoslavia, and Bulgaria were the original parties; shortly thereafter, Turkey also joined.

At the council meeting, the members of the BPU also for the first time elected its government, which at the time was very simple, consisting of a president and secretary. As time went on and the organization grew, other members were added, including a vice president and additional secretaries. The members are elected from the body of the BPU members from various countries. The current president, elected in 1997, is Professor C. Zerefos. He serves alongside a vice president as well as two elected secretaries, both from Greece. The council is also comprised of representatives, three from each of the member societies that make up the BPU. The Constitution states that they are to serve for three years. This is also the set time span between the council meetings.

Soon after the organization of the BPU, they began work on a publication called the Balkan Physics Letters. E. Dorobancu was appointed as Editor-in-chief. Unfortunately, the region’s political unrest and lack of finances prevented publication of the journal. The delay lasted until 1993, when the first issue was finally distributed. Circulating four issues a year, it is designed to publish new discoveries, theories, research findings and other studies for the use of the scientific community.

Political turmoil and governmental difficulties prevented real progress from being made in the first few years of the organization’s conception. In 1990, this was resolved with the signing of the Tirana Declaration, expressing the determination of BPU members to continue with their endeavor. Up to this point, government policies had restricted the scientists from sharing discoveries and research, limiting the progression of science. In an attempt at control, the national governments restricted communications between the scientists of various countries, hindering the sharing of discoveries and the growth of science. The purpose of the Tirana Declaration was to reinforce the physicists’ resolution to resist the governmental interference. With the declaration, the BPU was able to cross the lines of division, promoting collaborative efforts in scientific studies between countries.

With the signing of this document, the movement picked up speed. The first of what would soon become a series of Balkan Schools of Physics was started in Istanbul in 1991. It expanded into what are now five separate centers for physical research located throughout the Balkan region. Together, the centers operate under the banner of the Balkan Physics Research Institution and Research Group, a daughter to the BPU. The number continues to grow as other research centers from various countries apply to be included into the network.

A similar school of study was founded in 1991 at the Aristotle University in Thessaloniki, Greece. This was known as the Balkan Environmental Research and Development Institute. It was designed to bring attention to and to focus on certain environmental problems in the Balkans regions, which concerned the BPU. Six representatives are drawn from the National Physical Unions from each country. Professor C. Zerefos, who also now serves as the president of BPU, was appointed as coordinator.

The same year of the founding of the school, BPU also proudly held its first General Conference. More than 600 physicists attended the conference. This was a groundbreaking success for the fledgling organization. It was also the first time ever in that region of the world that such a number had been gathered together for scientific purposes. The account of the symposium was later published in a volume totaling almost 1,200 pages.

Due to the success of the convention, a second conference was held two years later in Izmir, Turkey. The Second Balkan Physical Union Conference was even larger than the first, with a crowd of 800 noted scientists in attendance. Proceedings from this were also published, and the book held an extra 800 more pages than the first publishing.

In 1997, the third conference was held in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. By this time, it had expanded to more than just scientists, including students, researchers, academics, and others. The number of attendees soared to more than 1,000, traveling from around the region and beyond. 2009 in Alexandroupolis, Greece saw the convening of the 7th International Conference of the Balkan, abbreviated as BPU-7. According to the BPU Constitution, the conference is to convene every three years. The next one will be in the year 2012.

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