14th Meeting of the Heads of State Mining Authorities

The 14^th Meeting of the Heads of State Mining Authorities and Administrations of European Countries took place from 23 to 26 June 2008 in Bled, Slovenia. The President of the State Mining Authority Mr Piotr Buchwald participated in the Meeting. The main topic of this year’s debate was “Escape and rescue arrangements at underground mines and emergency arrangements at surface mines”. Papers were presented by representatives of mining authorities from Austria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.

In the memorandum of the 14^th Meeting it was stressed that contraction and restructuring of mines has resulted in mines rescue services serving geographically dispersed mines with increasing pressure on funding. The ageing mining workforce is affecting recruitment and retention of rescue workers who have to meet strict fitness criteria.

It was decided that the next, 15^th Meeting will take place in Estonia. Its topic will be “Management of waste in the mining industry”.

During the Meeting SMA’s President Mr Piotr Buchwald launched an initiative to develop a working group that will include representatives of Polish, German and Czech mining authorities. The task of this group will be to discuss topical, common issues of mining supervision which are related, first of all, to coal mining. The first meeting of the group will take place in Katowice in September 2008.