The European Conference on Controlled Fusion and Plasma Physics, organized by the Plasma Physics Division of the European Physical Society, which, after having started three years ago, takes place annually in late spring, continues to reflect the major effort being put into developing controlled nuclear fusion in both eastern and western Europe. Major participation from the USA, Japan and Canada again emphasized the importance of this meeting. This year the conference was hosted by the Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT), Spain, and took place in the Palacio de Congresos y Exposiciones de Madrid. It was attended by about 500 participants from 25 countries.