Launch Conference of the EU Strategy for the Alpine Region

Introduction

The Launch Conference of the EU Strategy for the Alpine Region (EUSALP) will mark the move to the timely implementation phase of the Strategy.

The Alps are the most intensely used mountain region of the world. Therefore, the preservation and enjoyment of natural and cultural assets in the area should be at the heart of the Strategy as well as facilitating a sustainable internal and external accessibility. At the same time, the main challenge of the Strategy should be to tackle the economic, social and territorial imbalances existing in the Alpine Region as well as stimulating an innovative and sustainable model of development, which enables the promotion of growth and jobs.

This event brings together the EU Institutions, participating States and Regions and all key players in the governance and implementation of the EUSALP and offers all the main stakeholders the opportunity to express their views and ideas on the best working methods and efficient management of the Strategy.

The event, co-organized by the European Commission and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia, will take place in Brdo (Slovenia) on the 25th and 26th of January 2016.

The Foreign Ministers of the States involved and the Presidents of the Regions of the Alpine area will be among the speakers of the conference. A “Joint Statement on a governance and management system for implementing the EU Strategy for the Alpine region” will be the culmination of these debates in the first plenary session.

Corina Creţu, Commissioner for Regional Policy and Violeta Bulc Commissioner for Transport will represent the European Commission and reflect on the important experience gained from the other macro-regional strategies.

This first day of plenary debate sessions will be followed by a second day of more technical workshops with practitioners around the four objectives of the EUSALP. This will be a timely opportunity to present the new Strategy’s agreed structure, and to gather concrete suggestions for its optimal performance in a multi-level governance framework.