Reporting website
of the European Week of Regions and Cities
| 2017
What role for the EUSALP in future?
The EU Strategy for the Alpine Region (EUSALP), which was officially launched in Brdo in January 2016, has nine action groups that have already delivered noteworthy results. This EURegionsWeek event – divided into two parts – involved high-ranking panellists who looked at the future role of the macro-regional strategy and what has been delivered so far from the point of view of regions, cities and citizens. The first part discussed why regions and cities can be more efficient agents of change thanks to the EUSALP when shaping the future of the Alpine region strategy. The macroregional strategy will be facing important challenges in the near future: climate change, economic developments, the need to ensure jobs and education, mobility issues and the need to improve the use of renewable energies and to invest more in innovation. It was pointed out that the macroregional strategy is important in terms of all of these challenges. Only if the regions of the EUSALP work together can they face up to these specific problems, which are typical for all the regions, cities and citizens of the Alpine area. The point was made that cooperation and collaboration are necessary and decisive for the future of the EUSALP. The macro-regional strategy is the responsibility of all those who live in the Alpine area, because it is unique and it has to be maintained for future generations. If regions work together to solve the problems referred to above, they can specialise in their research and share the results not only with all the other regions in the strategy, but also with other mountain regions in the EU in the future. The macro- regional strategy respects the boundaries of the “three no’s” principle: no new EU funds, no additional EU formal structures and no new EU legislation. This was a requirement imposed when the EUSALP was founded and the strategy created and, while the regions did not get any direct funding (despite the EP envisaging some), the result was a success. In future, however, the EUSALP wants to apply for funds under the cohesion policy or other funding from the EU (such as for pilot projects). The second part of the event looked in greater detail at what has been delivered so far that may have changed people's lives in the various fields. The EUSALP focuses on, for example, the bio-economy, dual and vocational education (vet), mobility and renewable energies. High-level speakers discussed these issues and what has been delivered so far under the Slovenian and Bavarian presidencies and what is foreseen under the forthcoming Tyrolean presidency starting in 2018.
Take away message
The EUSALP takes joint action against everyday problems and new challenges that are particularly pervasive in the Alpine area, such as climate change, economic developments, jobs and education, mobility and energy and many more. It also creates comparable conditions for people who work and live in remote regions of the Alpine area. It is important to maintain the traditional strengths of those areas and at the same time to better the quality of life.
  • Regions & cities as change agents

    Regions & cities as change agents

Code

11B56

Day

October 11

Organiser(s)

Chair

Speakers

  • Arno Kompatscher, President, Autonomous Province of Bolzano/Bozen-South Tyrol, Italy
  • Ugo Rossi, President, Autonomous Province of Trento, Italy
  • Günter Platter, Governor, Land Tyrol, Austria
  • Peter Kaiser, Governor Land Carinthia, Austria
  • Franco Iacop, President of the Legislative Assembly of Friuli Venezia Giulia Autonomous Region and member of the European Committee of the Regions, Italy
  • Silvio De Nigirs, Project Manager, Sustainable Energy Development Sector, Piedmont region, Italy
  • Hortense Lutz-Hermellin, Head of Brussels Delegation Office, Region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France
  • Anna Maria Careri, Regional executive of the Autonomous Region of the Aosta Valley, Italy
  • Katharina Hellmann, Bavarian EUSALP Co-Coordinator, Bavarian State Chancellery, Germany
  • Valentina Aprea, Regional President, Regional Government, Lombardy Region, Italy
  • Brigitta Pallauf, President of the Regional Parliament of Salzburg, Austria
  • Bojana Cipot, Macroregions Assistant Coordinator, Slovenia, Slovenia
  • Harald Sonderegger, President of the Regional Parliament of Vorarlberg, Austria