EGAS stands for European Group for Atomic Spectroscopy. The Conference, generally held once a year, is intended to fulfil two main functions.

i.- To maintain regular contact between groups and individuals from different countries working in atomic spectroscopy and related fields, keeping them in touch with recent research progress.

ii.- To ensure that these contacts continue to develop by providing a Conference that is geared to the needs of younger physicists, particularly graduate students. Specifically, it is to give them the opportunity to meet; to present their ideas and results in an international arena; to take part in formal and informal discussions; and to listen to review papers, appropriate to their level of experience, delivered by acknowledged experts.

iii.- EGAS should encourage the participation of related organisations. To achieve these aims, the Conference must be scientifically first-class, and must be attractive to young research workers as well as senior people. This in turn means organisation on a simple scale, with the Conference fee and living expenses as low as possible. There has been a rich variety in EGAS Meetings over the years. Atomic spectroscopy has evolved enormously during the last decade or so, while the Conferences have been held in many different settings, and each has had a style of its own. Nevertheless, the priority given to the aims set out above has led to common features, which are worth repeating - high scientific quality, minimum cost, and participation by many young people as well as their senior colleagues. To these we should add the characteristics which have grown up through the regular contact of a like-minded group of friendly people: informality, flexibility and good fellowship. These principles form the point of departure for the following sections. The guidelines given are obviously not exhaustive; they concentrate on those points which are more or less specific to EGAS Meetings.