The XVIII Alpine Conference took place on 22 January 2025 in Brdo (SI). This marked the end of the two-year Slovenian Presidency of the Alpine Convention and the handover to Italy. The decisions and attachments to the decisions are now available in French, German, Italian, and Slovenian, as well as in relevant thematic sections. Below is an overview of the main products of the Conference.
Slovenian Presidency
The three main products of the Slovenian Presidency were adopted by the ministers and high-level representatives of the Contracting Parties.
- The Tenth Report on the State of the Alps on Quality of Life in the Alps which introduces a common concept of quality of life, identifies major challenges, topics, and elements that shape quality of life in the Alpine region and provides recommendations. It is currently being translated and will be available in all Alpine languages in spring.
- A Policy Brief on Biodiversity in the Alps focused on four key thematic areas (conservation, connectivity, restoration, and monitoring) with recommendations for each.
- Good practice examples of climate change education in Alpine schools as well as an expert analysis of the activities carried out by the Slovenian Presidency in this field, including policy recommendations.
Italian Presidency
The XVIII Alpine Conference also adopted the two-year programme of the new Italian Presidency. The Italian Presidency, hosted by the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security, will focus its work on the following areas of action: biodiversity, climate change, Alpine population and culture, and cooperation with other mountain regions.
The Conference also established a new ad-hoc working group, chaired by Italy, to prepare the Eleventh Report on the State of the Alps, which will be dedicated to ‘Alpine glaciers, permafrost, and the water cycle’.
Compliance Committee
The Compliance Committee produced its final report on the ordinary review procedure for the implementation of the Declaration on ‘Population and Culture’.
The report showed that despite its legally non-binding nature and different levels of application in the Contracting Parties, those that submitted national reports have, to a large extent, put its objectives and measures into practice.
Permanent Secretariat
Over the past two years, the Secretariat has carried out its role of contributing to the implementation of the Alpine Convention and the Slovenian Presidency programme. To showcase the main activities, the Secretariat prepared an Activity Report which details: support to the Alpine Convention bodies; networking with the Contracting Parties, Observers, and Infopoints as well as international partners; projects such as the Reading Mountains Festival; activities in connection with the System for the Observation and Information on the Alps (SOIA); and communication and information activities.
Thematic Working Bodies
Eight ordinary Thematic Working Bodies were active during the period 2023-2024: the Alpine Biodiversity Board, the Alpine Climate Board, the Large Carnivores, Wild Ungulates and Society Working Group (WISO), the Mountain Agriculture and Mountain Forestry Working Group, the Soil Protection Working Group, the Natural Hazards Working Group (PLANALP), the Spatial Planning and Sustainable Development Working Group, and the Transport Working Group. They each produced outputs contributing to the implementation of the Alpine Convention’s priorities and offering insights into relevant Alpine issues. Find out more by exploring the pages of the individual TWBs.
The XVIII Alpine Conference also approved the mandates for all eight TWBs for the period until the next Alpine Conference.
Political debate on natural hazards
In light of the increasing risks of natural hazards in the Alps, which are being exacerbated by climate change, the Alpine Conference held a political debate on the topic. The aim was to discuss ways to try and prevent natural disasters from affecting the quality of life in the Alps and to identify areas for closer cooperation.
Progress towards implementing the Multi-Annual Work Programme 2023-2030
During the 80th meeting of the Permanent Committee, which took place ahead of the Alpine Conference, the Contracting Parties and Observer organisations reflected on the implementation of the Multi-Annual Work Programme (MAP) for 2023-2030.
The Contracting Parties, Chairs of the Thematic Working Bodies, and Observers took the floor to reflect on the existing inputs in a future-oriented way. The aim was to identify the main tasks for 2027-2030 and how to best tackle them in the framework of the Convention, as well as the potential contributions of each country or organisation. The discussion was supported by graphic facilitator Fanny Didou, whose illustration recorded the inputs for the road to 2030 and beyond and serves as a basis for future reflection.
Young Academics Award
The winners of the Alpine Convention’s Young Academics Award for outstanding master’s theses were announced in the framework of the Conference. The six Infopoint awards were also handed out during a festive ceremony on the eve of the meeting of the Alpine ministers.
The three main prizes were awarded to:
- Agnese Moroni (University of Amsterdam) for her thesis on snowmaking as maladaptation in the Alps and sustainable water management
- Elena Grace Siegrist (University of Bern) for her thesis on how climate change is impacting landscapes in Switzerland
- Christina Dollinger (Technical University Munich) for her thesis evaluating forest management strategies under climate change in the Berchtesgaden National Park.
You can read the abstracts of all the Award’s finalists and winners here!
