Alpine Politics

For more than 70 years, CIPRA has been working to promote sustainable policies for the Alps, looking ahead, putting tomorrow’s challenges on the political agenda and taking policymakers to task.

For a good life in the Alps, it is important to guarantee a balance between economic interests and the needs of the local populations and nature. CIPRA helps to bridge this gap on the political stage. The protocols of the Alpine Convention offer guidance. In combination with other tools, they empower the political actors to adopt appropriate measures.

The tools of Alpine policy

  • The Alpine Convention is an international treaty involving the countries of the Alps and the European Union. As co-initiator, CIPRA helped to create a fundamental requirement: an international political body for sustainable development and protection for the Alps. CIPRA contributes expertise in the Compliance Committee and the working groups.
  • As a mountain chain at the heart of Europe, the Alps are strongly impacted by the policies of the EU. The EU strategy for the Alpine Region (EUSALP) is being established to strengthen future cooperation between the Alps and the surrounding regions and cities. CIPRA and its partners are calling for civil society to be involved in this process.
  • In its core activities and beyond, CIPRA is working in national and transnational political bodies for a good life in the Alps.

CIPRA’s vision

  • A strong civil society
    Cities, municipalities, regions and countries of the Alps communicate their experiences and learn from one another. They involve the people in the planning processes and take account of the ideas and visions of young people. They set the framework conditions needed for all three pillars of sustainability – economy, nature and society – to be strengthened in equal measure.
  • A vibrant Alpine Convention
    The Alpine Convention provides a framework for these endeavours. It is an active clearing house. Keen use is made of its various platforms and working groups, while the Compliance Committee provides effective monitoring of observance of its provisions.
  • A responsible response
    The 14 million residents of the Alps can count on the solidarity of the 56 million people living in the surrounding regions – and vice-versa. All these people are aware of the special value of the Alps as a living space for human beings and the flora and fauna.

Alpine Convention

For more than 60 years, CIPRA has been working to promote sustainable policies for the Alps, looking ahead, putting tomorrow’s challenges on the political agenda and taking policymakers to task. More

Macroregional Strategy

The EU strategy for the Alpine Region (EUSALP) is to strengthen future cooperation between the Alps and the surrounding cities and regions. CIPRA and its partners are calling for civil society to be involved in the process. More

Sustainable development goals

In its Agenda 2030, the United Nations has formulated a total of 17 goals for sustainable development. What do they mean for the Alps? More

CIPRA's Positions

CIPRA regards it as one of its core tasks to comment on current topics and developments. Its broad support as an umbrella organisation with more than 100 member associations in the Alpine region justifies it. Please check the other language versions for more position papers!

Berchtesgaden Declaration on regional co-operation in mountain regions 2002
Berchtesgaden Declaration on regional co-operation in mountain regions 2002
At the end of June 2002 a conference on international co-operation between the mountain regions of the world was held in Berchtesgaden. The participants at the conference presented ten fundamental principles for regional co-operation. The principles underscore the key responsibility of governments and the need for regional co-operation to ensure the sustainable and proper management of mountain regions. Equal rights, decentralisation and the involvement of resident populations are essential in achieving sustainable development. Measures aimed at establishing cross-border partnerships and networks for the exchange of experience and the dissemination of knowledge are of crucial importance in bringing regional co-operation to life. The Declaration is aimed at governments, the international community, the private sector and NGOs.
Vienna Declaration by the Regional Conference on Transport and the Environment 1997
Vienna Declaration by the Regional Conference on Transport and the Environment 1997
The Declaration was adopted by the governments of the member states of the UN Economic Commission for Europe. The states pledge to take steps aimed at reducing the negative impact of transport and traffic on the environment and on health. Energy-efficient and ecological vehicles and fuels as well as efficient and sustainable transport systems are to be encouraged and sensitive regions protected. The UNECE members are also planning to encourage the safe transport of hazardous substances and adopt measures aimed at protecting water resources from pollution. Annexed to the Declaration is a programme with a description of potential measures and solutions in the area of transport and the environment. http://www.unece.org/doc/ece/rcte/ece.rcte.conf..2.final.e.pdf

News on Alpine politics

Alpine regional strategy on the starting blocks
Alpine regional strategy on the starting blocks
The European strategy for the Alps is ready. There nevertheless remain some challenges to its effective and sustainable implementation.
No pardon for crimes against the environment
No pardon for crimes against the environment
Damaging the environment in Italy can henceforth be punished with a jail term of up to fifteen years. Environmental legislation was also a concern of CIPRA co-founder Wolfgang Burhenne. A biography is now dedicated to him.
Point of view: Making the Alpine Convention more interactive
Point of view: Making the Alpine Convention more interactive
The effectiveness of the Alpine Convention is often called into question. A new approach could help reposition it as an engine of co-operation and sustainable development in the Alpine regions, says Claire Simon, Executive Director of CIPRA International.
New French policy for the mountains
New French policy for the mountains
Thirty years ago, France passed a special law for its mountain areas. It is now undergoing a review. Here is a summary of the most significant amendments.

Point of Views of CIPRA

Point of view: In nature restoration we trust!
Point of view: In nature restoration we trust!
The Nature Restoration Law now obliges all EU member states to restore destroyed nature to a good ecological condition and thus safeguard the stocks of pollinators, natural resources, clean air and clean water. The Alpine region and its agriculture will also benefit, says Serena Arduino, Co-President of CIPRA International.
Point of view: Avoiding transport collapse together
Point of view: Avoiding transport collapse together
As regards the growing volume of individual and transit traffic, it can be stated that neither regional nor national perspectives will lead to solutions. We have to find them together, because the Alps lie in the midst of Europe. This geographical truism is central to an understanding of transport policy problems in the Alps so as to avoid transport collapse, says Kaspar Schuler, Executive Director of CIPRA International.
Point of view: The Alps are not an endless source of energy!
Point of view: The Alps are not an endless source of energy!
Solar, wind and hydropower are helping us become less dependent on fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas. This can also be done without sacrificing the last biodiversity hotspots in the Alps, says Isabella Helmschrott, Executive Director of CIPRA Switzerland.
Point of view: We need more young people in the Alps
Point of view: We need more young people in the Alps
Ageing, emigration and dying villages are typical problems for many mountain regions. It must therefore become attractive for young people to live in the Alps again, says Kathrin Holstein, member of CIPRA’s Youth Council and staff member of the Alliance in the Alps network of municipalities.
Point of view: Let’s create an “Alpine Plan” for all Alpine regions!
Point of view: Let’s create an “Alpine Plan” for all Alpine regions!
The Bavarian Alpine Plan celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2022. Alpine spatial planning has proven here that it is predestined to find solutions to the pressing issues of the day. Similar planning instruments are lacking in many Alpine regions, although we need them more urgently than ever, claim Paul Kuncio, Executive Director of CIPRA Austria, and Uwe Roth, Executive Director of CIPRA Germany.
Point of view: the excessive character of the Olympics
Point of view: the excessive character of the Olympics
High construction costs, unused sports facilities, environmentally damaging large-scale projects: loud criticism continues to surround the staging of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina/I. We must ask whether such sporting events still have a place in the Alps, says Vanda Bonardo, President of CIPRA Italy.