Abstract
The European Spallation Source (ESS) project entered a new phase with the presentation of the project at the ESS European Conference at the former House of Parliament in Bonn from May 16–17, 2002. The scientific case, the maturity of the proposed technical solution, and the backing by European users were clearly demonstrated at this meeting. It was attended by about 900 participants from twenty different European countries. The largest group of participants was scientists (about 750), but politics, industry, and the press were also well represented.