Brussels, 28/07/2015 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission presented its proposal for an EU strategy for the Alpine Region (EUSALP) on Tuesday 28 July. The strategy will cover five EU member states, Lichtenstein and Switzerland and will bring benefits from closer cooperation between regions and countries in terms of research and innovation, SME support, mobility, tourism, environmental protection and energy resources management.
“Alpine regions have a long lasting tradition of cooperation, with a number of networks already in place, and the ambition of this strategy is to strengthen this existing solidarity”, stated Regional Policy Commissioner Corina Cretu.
Articulating with the objectives of the EUROPE 2020 strategy, the Alpine region strategy will focus on four key policy areas: - economic growth and innovation with, for example, the development of research activities on Alpine-specific products and services; - connectivity and mobility, with the improvement of roads and railways and the extension of satellite access in remote areas; - environment and energy, with the pooling of mutual resources to preserve the environment and promote energy efficiency in the region; - building a sound and efficient governance model.
It is planned that a presidency will rotate among the seven states and that the Presidency will oversee coordination among the 48 regions involved. It has yet to be decided how long the term of office of the Presidency will be.
In December 2013, the European Council invited the Commission, in cooperation with the member states and third countries involved, to draw up an EU strategy for the Alpine region, which comprises Austria, France, Germany, Italy and Slovenia, along with Liechtenstein and Switzerland. A public consultation was opened by the Commission, running from July to October 2014 and receiving almost 400 responses. In December of the same year, a high-level conference was held in Milan. The responses to the consultation and the conclusions of the conference fed into the Commission's preparation of the strategy.
The Alpine region is home to 70 million citizens. It faces many difficulties, including being shunned by globalisation due to its specific topographical features and its declining population, as well as its vulnerability to climate change.
In September, the group Friends of the Presidency will begin drafting the Council of the EU conclusions. The General Affairs Council will adopt the conclusions in the autumn, then the European Council will approve the strategy prior to implementation, which the Commission hopes will happen before the end of the year.
Following a positive evaluation in 2013 (see EUROPE 10949), the EU extended macro-regional strategies to the period from 2014 to 2020. In addition to the strategy planned for the Alpine region, three other macro-regional strategies exist - for the Baltic region, the Danube region and the Adriatic and Ionian region.
Macro-regional strategies make no additional calls on European funding, the Commission says, since their principal purpose is to make better use of existing funding through closer cooperation and appropriate governance. (Pascal Hansens)