Welcome message

Ladies and Gentlemen, On behalf of the Federal government I would like to welcome you warmly to the “14th International Symposium on the Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials (PATRAM 2004)”, and to Berlin. There are two reasons why I, as a representative of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour, speak to you today: On the one hand, the German Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM), as the conference organizer, belongs to the portfolio of my Ministry. On the other hand, I would like to underline by this the major economic relevance that materials research and testing has for a modern economy. In this way, technological progress produces prosperity for our society, but also changes and risks must be mastered. For this reason we need the competencies of institutions such as the BAM, which has been supporting the Federal government in all issues of public-technical safety for half a century. At the same time, the national and international cross-linking with science as well as with industry and commerce, but also the commitment in the area of standards, is indispensable. A leading industrial nation cannot survive without a competitive technical-economic infrastructure. This is an important location factor in international competition. In addition to serving economic needs, public-technical safety has a special significance for our citizens. Here, we should not forget the broad debate on the problem of technology acceptance in our society, especially in Germany.