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and technologists in East Germany. As a
consequence, the German Democratic
Republic National Committee on Vacuum
was formed and, as shown in Table I, it
was a member of IUVSTA between 1977
and 1992. It was disbanded after the
reunification of Germany in 1991.
At the following four GMs, one new national
society was admitted at each meeting:
Brazil (1980), the Peoples Republic of China
(1983), Mexico (1986) and Portugal (1989).
The GM in 1992 saw the admission of five
new societies (fromSlovenia, Croatia, Korea,
Romania and the Russian Federation)
and the termination of two memberships
(Yugoslavia and GDR Germany). In 1991
changes in the political situation had
resulted in the dissolution of Yugoslavia
into five independent states. Two of these,
Slovenia and Croatia, subsequently formed
their own vacuum societies and joined
IUVSTA whilst, with these separated off, the
former Yugoslavian Vacuum Society was
disbanded. Also, following the break-up of
the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics
(USSR), Romania had proceeded to form its
own vacuum society and joined IUVSTA in
1992 but is currently suspended as a voting
member because of their inability to pay
the annual membership fee, due a difficult
economic situation. As far back as 1981,
scientists in the USSR had been negotiating
within their own country for permission and
support to join IUVSTA. However, it was
not until 1992 that it became possible for a
society within the newly constituted Russian
Federation to make a formal application to
join the Union.
At the GM in 1998, three societies were
admitted (from the Czech Republic, Slovakia
and the Ukraine) and the membership of
the Czechoslovakian Vacuum Society was
terminated. The splitting of Czechoslovakia
into two separate states has been discussed
above. The Ukraine had previously been
a member of the USSR. Unfortunately, it
is currently (2016) suspended as a voting
member, due to a difficult economic situation.
Full membership was conferred to the
Pakistan Vacuum Society at the GM in
2001, to the Iranian Vacuum Society at GM
in 2007, to the Argentine Vacuum Society
at the ECM in 2013 and to the Philippines
Vacuum Society at the GM in 2016.
This brings the membership of IUVSTA to
35 national societies (including Romania
and Ukraine). An extensive effort is made
to contact people in countries which do not
currently have a national vacuum society
or committee but whom it was thought
might be interested in setting up such an
organisation with a view to either joining
IUVSTA or at least interacting with IUVSTA
through workshops, schools, etc. This is in
line with the desire to extend the services
of the Union to new countries and regions.
The current 35 National Vacuum Societies
(or Committees) within IUVSTA are shown in
Table I, with details of dates of formation and
admission to IUVSTA and, where relevant,
their name in their national language.
Increasing interaction between national
societies requires an awareness of the
structure and activities of the individual
societies, which is in fact quite varied.
To this end a new item was introduced
in 2001 into the agenda of the Executive
Council Meetings by the then IUVSTA
President M-G. Barthés-Labrousse,
under which a representative of the
host national society would speak on
the history, structure and activities of
their society.
SUMMARY