On 6-9 September the last edition of the International Fair for Mining, Power Industry and Metallurgy “Katowice 2001” was held. It is the largest exhibition of the mining sector in Europe. This year 400 companies from 15 countries participated in it. On over 20 thousand square metres, exhibitors from Poland and abroad presented complex services for mining, from designing up to providing equipment for whole mining complexes.

An event accompanying the fairs was the conference “Gas and Coal Sector vs. Energy Security of Europe and Poland”, organized by the Regional Chamber of Commerce. We had a pleasure to provide simultaneous interpretation services and to deliver specialist interpretation equipment during this conference.

The subject-matter of the conference encompassed issues from the scope of economic policy of the European Union, energy security of Poland and shale gas in the context of opportunities and forecasts.

The conference was held on 6 September and it was organized under the honorary patronage of:

• Waldemar Pawlak, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economy
• Elżbieta Bieńkowska – Minister of Regional Development
• Henryk Jacek Jezierski – Under-Secretary of State in the Ministry of Environment, Chief National Geologist