25th Meeting of the Heads of the European Mining Authorities concluded with the signing of Memorandum

On 26-27 September 2019, the 25th Meeting of the Heads of European Mining Authorities was held in Cottbus, Germany. The two-day session was opened by a representative of the hosts, Uwe Sell from the State Office for  Mining, Geology and Natural Resources.

The meeting was attended by representatives of mining supervisory institutions from 12 European countries. The Polish delegation consisting of three persons was led by Krzysztof Król - 1st Vice President of the State Mining Authority.

The main topic of this year's meeting was "Protection of communities and environment in active and inactive mines and quarries". During the plenary session, the State Mining Authority made a presentation on the operation of Covenant Teams which are one of the forms of cooperation between mining authorities and local self-government bodies in the field of environmental protection.

Moreover, the topics discussed during the meeting included:

• new technologies and possibilities of thermal and electric energy production,
• problems of closing old mines,
• issues related to remediation, revitalisation, reclamation in the post-mining areas,
• searching for new mineral deposits.

The final stage of the meeting was the ceremonial signing of the Memorandum. It stresses, i.a. the still important role of mining for the economy and at the same time points out the need to protect the environment and local communities from the effects of excavation.

The Meetings of the Heads of European Mining Authorities are a cyclic event. Their main objective is to exchange experience in the area of legal regulations and the functioning of mining supervisory authorities as well as the mining industry in particular European countries.

The State Mining Authority has hosted such meetings three times: in 1996 in Katowice, in 2004 in Wroclaw and in 2011 in Cracow. The 26th Meeting of the Heads of European Mining Authorities in 2020 will be held in Slovenia, and the main theme will be the opening and closing of underground mines, with a particular focus on health, safety and financing.