The EMS Executive Committee (EC) usually holds two major meetings each year, plus regular shorter virtual meetings. The second major meeting of 2024 was held from 15 to 17 November at the Department of Mathematics of the University of Turin (Italy). The event was organized by EC member Susanna Terracini, with support from the Italian Mathematical Union (UMI) and the Italian Society for Applied and Industrial Mathematics (SIMAI).
This report focuses on matters of direct interest to EMS members, particularly the Committee’s strategic objectives and positions on relevant issues, leaving aside technical and procedural details.
The meeting marked the final attendance of three distinguished Executive Committee (EC) members: Frédéric Hélein, Luis Narváez Macarro and Beatrice Pelloni. Their successors – María Ángeles García Ferrero, Adam Skalski and Alain Valette – participated in the discussions alongside other EC members,1https://euromathsoc.org/committee-executive Donatella Donatelli, the new editor-in-chief of the EMS Magazine, Elvira Hyvönen from the EMS Secretariat and Enrico Schlitzer, the newly appointed EMS and EMS Press community engagement manager.
Members of the EMS Executive Committee present at the EC Meeting in Turin, along with Donatella Donatelli and Elvira Hyvönen.
🅭🅯 CC BY 4.0Inclusive mathematics, accessible publishing
EMS Press, the publishing house of the European Mathematical Society, was founded with a clear mission: to ensure that experts guide the presentation of scientific results, reclaiming control from large commercial publishers. The company is now a successful publishing house and an example of fair and sustainable Open Access publishing. EMS Press uses a model called Subscribe to Open (S2O): libraries subscribe to journals as before, and when a journal reaches a sufficient number of subscriptions, it becomes open access for that year. This approach has proven successful: as of 2024, all 26 EMS Press journals have been published open access.
André Gaul, managing director of EMS Press, presented an impressive year of achievements: ten new books published in 2024, adding to a catalog of over 250 titles, and a steady publication of 26 journals. The company continued the development of in-house publishing technology and was present at major mathematics and publishing events worldwide. Gaul emphasized that as a community publisher, EMS Press needs ongoing support from the EMS community to strengthen its commitment to open access. The EC expressed interest in opening dialogues with other Open Access initiatives in mathematics. While these initiatives may differ from EMS Press in their specific approach to Open Access, they share fundamental values: being community-driven and opposing commercialism in academic publishing.
Diversity in mathematics
The EC dedicated a significant amount of time to discussing concerns raised by some members about the representation of applied mathematics in EMS events and prizes, and considers it essential to include mathematics in all its diversity. Simultaneously, optimizing every diversity parameter – such as gender, geographical origin, and mathematical fields – is a nearly impossible task. Rather than seeking perfect balance in each individual occasion, the Committee is determined to ensure satisfactory representation across all EMS activities when viewed as a whole.
The EC considers mathematics as a unified field, while recognizing that different research areas may have their specific characteristics and needs. Importantly, the Committee unanimously expressed reservations about classifying research into pure and applied mathematics.
Investing in the EMS’s future
The EMS Young Academy (EMYA) continues to grow, with 20 new nominations bringing its membership to 80 early-career mathematicians: their perspective will continue to offer new impulses for the development of the EMS. The EC also reviewed changes to EMS Committees compositions, to be announced in the coming year, and discussed recommendations for events to be supported in 2025 coming from the Meetings Committee, the Committee for Developing Countries, and the European Solidarity Committee.
Ethics and professional conduct
Stefan Jackowski, Chair of the Ethics Committee, presented the development of the EMS Code of Ethics, a framework that will include several documents: an update of the current Code of Practice, the Code of Practice for Mathematical Publication, the Code of Conduct for EMS Events, Advice on Setting up a Welcoming Environment at Mathematical Events, and the EMS Statement on Anti-harassment. This initiative is being developed through the collaborative efforts of three committees: the Ethics Committee, the Committee for Publications and Electronic Dissemination, and the Women in Mathematics Committee (WIM). A discussion followed the presentation, with contributions from André Gaul, Mikaela Iacobelli (chair of WIM), and Apostolos Damialis (EMS Press editorial director) and Olaf Teschke (chair of the Committee on Publications and Electronic Dissemination). The participants addressed both the impact of new technologies on research and publishing, and strategies to maintain a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment across all EMS activities.
The Ethics Committee is also expanding its scope to address a broader range of professional conduct in mathematics. This includes not only research integrity but also practices in publication, teaching, and the practical applications of mathematics.
EMS Magazine and zbMATH Open
Donatella Donatelli, the new editor-in-chief of the EMS Magazine, presented an encouraging overview of the publication’s development. The Magazine has successfully maintained a steady output, with issues averaging 70 pages and carefully working to balance different types of contributions. While achieving perfect balance remains challenging, the Magazine tries to represent the entire spectrum of mathematical activity – from research features to educational perspectives, from historical insights to public awareness initiatives. A notable upcoming project is the publication of articles by the fourteen prize winners from the 9th ECM, starting with Felix Klein Prize winner Fabien Casenave in the previous issue (no. 134).
Olaf Teschke, in his role as managing editor of zbMATH Open, reported on the platform’s significant developments. Since becoming Open Access, zbMATH Open has seen substantial growth in its user base, particularly from developing countries. Recent improvements include enhanced user interfaces, expanded coverage through preprint integration, and better connectivity with other mathematical resources.
Looking ahead: building a stronger community
A highlight of the meeting was the Sunday morning session featuring presentations from two Italian mathematical societies. Marco Andreatta, president of the Italian Mathematical Union (UMI), discussed how the society has evolved to meet contemporary needs, including the creation of specialized groups to address specific mathematical areas and engage with public interest. Luca Formaggia, president of the Italian Society for Applied and Industrial Mathematics (SIMAI), outlined his society’s activities in organizing congresses, supporting young mathematicians through prizes, and promoting mathematical education through various initiatives, from editorial activities to teacher training programs.
From left to right: Susanna Terracini, Marco Andreatta, Luca Formaggia and Jan Philip Solovej.
🅭🅯 CC BY 4.0The meeting concluded with a Strategic Session where participants reflected on EMS objectives and their practical implementation. The discussion highlighted two main directions for future action: externally, strengthening mathematics’ voice at the European level through engagement with policymakers; internally, creating more opportunities for the mathematical community, with particular attention to early-career researchers through networking and professional development initiatives. Throughout the three days, the Executive Committee repeatedly emphasized its commitment to diversity in all forms – geographic, regarding gender, and across mathematical fields.
Cite this article
Report from the EMS Executive Committee meeting in Turin, 15–17 November 2024. Eur. Math. Soc. Mag. 135 (2025), pp. 68–70
DOI 10.4171/MAG/242