In his speech, President Kompatscher pointed out that "The Eusalp macro-area is the economically strongest and most attractive living space in the heart of Europe. We, the representatives of the territories, must become even more aware that we have the opportunity to take more direct responsibility within the framework of this macro-strategy. In this way, we can shape our living space sustainably in cross-border cooperation and overcome major challenges together".
Numerous delegates from other Italian Alpine regions (Valle d'Aosta, Lombardy, Piedmont, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Veneto), and from different countries (France, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Liechtenstein, Switzerland) attended, as well as institutional representatives: Marco Doglia, EUSALP national coordinator of the Department for Cohesion Policies of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and, via video link, Elisa Ferreira, European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms and Edmondo Cirielli, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs. The presence of the young people from the EUSALP Youth Council, who presented the results of their activities, was significant.
As Bisesti recalled during the assembly, "in the European Year of Youth, a series of initiatives were organised with the Youth Council, which were also open to other youth organisations in the Alpine area. The prevailing themes were sustainable local development and reflection on how to strengthen relations between the central and inland Alpine areas, in order to guarantee more opportunities - in terms of work, study, access to public services - for all Alpine citizens, also as a counter to depopulation. It was also important to draw attention to the role of women in the socio-economic development of the Alpine areas during the year of the Italian presidency,' said Bisesti. In addition to highly participatory initiatives, such as the 'Energy Dialogues' - one in each province - to gather the contributions of citizens, municipalities and businesses on the topics of the energy crisis and energy poverty, the Trentino and South Tyrol presidencies focused on the development of the Strategy through the establishment of the Technical Support Structure and worked to strengthen the financing and integration processes of EUSALP. In addition, the contributions of the EUSALP Action Groups, which concretely implement the Strategies in the Alpine territories and contribute to shaping the future of the Alpine macro-region, have been enhanced. These achievements belong not only to the Italian Presidency, but to all 7 countries and 48 regions of EUSALP.
Attached: Press release Conference of Swiss Cantonal Governments
