Commissioner Cresson opens de-mining conference at the JRC
A major international conference on de-mining technology, hosted by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre in Ispra, Italy, was opened by the European Commissioner for research and innovation, Mrs Edith Cresson on 28 September 1998. The three-day conference brought together mine experts from all over the world, including the United Nations and other international organisations, as well as representatives from NGOs who are particularly active in de-mining operations on the ground. In addition to the conference, an exhibition showed the latest de-mining technologies, a series of workshops discussed the latest research results in the area, and training and information courses addressed new mine detection technologies. In her speech, Mrs Cresson stressed that, "de-mining is a painstaking and hazardous activity, which calls for urgent improvement in the speed, safety and efficiency of techniques. We want therefore to deliver equipment into operational use that will make a real difference as quickly as possible. In particular, we must define a quick and reliable method of assessing if there is a remaining threat in a particular area, so that attention can be focused on the specific, mined locations, releasing large areas of land more quickly back into productive use."