The European Avalanche Warning Services (EAWS) - www.avalanches.org - will hold its 18th Meeting in Rome (Italy) the 4th - 7th June 2015. EAWS is a non-government, not for profit organization, established in 1983, dedicated to public avalanche safety and coordinating the activities of national, regional or provincial sector agencies involved in avalanche forecasting (www.avalanche.org). EAWS promotes between the sector agencies the exchange of ideas, experiences and operational methods for avalanche forecasting programs and data collection and storage, establishing shared rules, regulations and standards for such activities like the European Avalanche Danger Scale (established in 1993), the auxiliary "Bavarian Matrix" for the generation of the avalanche bulletins. EAWS also defines criteria, structure, and graphical output guidance of the forecasting products, delivered to different types of users. Its meeting is a biennial event assembling 35 forecasting services from 16 countries plus 3 observer countries (Canada, New Zealand and United States of America - since 2007) which discuss the activities of the working group.

The 18th meeting is hosted and organized by the METEOMONT - THE STATE AVALANCHE WARNING SERVICE. Italian State Forestry Corps (CFS), today renovated METEOMONT CARABINIERI.
The Meeting will take place in the scenographic "Cavour" Hall, at the headquarters of Italian State Forestry Corp (CFS) - Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, downtown in Rome (Via XX Settembre, 20).

More than 50 professional avalanche forecasters and technicians are expected to attend to this meeting to debate and find shared solutions.