The start of the Italian Presidency of the Alpine Convention was marked by several back-to-back events at the Permanent Secretariat’s operational branch office, hosted by Eurac Research in Bolzano/Bozen (IT), from 3 to 6 March 2025.
First on the agenda was an initial coordination meeting between the Italian Presidency team and the Permanent Secretariat. Discussions centred around team collaboration, task distribution, and planning for upcoming events.
On the second day, attention turned to the Thematic Working Bodies during a meeting with the Chairs of the Bodies. The aim was to explore the Thematic Working Bodies’ contributions to the Italian Presidency's programme, in particular regarding the forthcoming 11th Report on the State of the Alps, as well as to encourage synergies between the groups, also in view of the Multi-Annual Work Programme 2023-2030. Two topical workshops rounded off the Thematic Working Bodies’ exchange, led by the Chairs of the Alpine Climate Board and the Alpine Biodiversity Board to gather input for the communication of useful climate facts and the elaboration of the Alpine Biodiversity Action Plan, respectively.
On Wednesday, 5 March, the Italian Presidency updated the members of the National Coordination Board of the Italian Delegation to the Alpine Convention about its programme and the upcoming events, as well as informing them about what will be discussed at the next Permanent Committee meeting (Rome, 26 March). In parallel, and on the following day, the final event of the week saw the members of the Ad-hoc Working Group for the elaboration of the 11th Report on the State of the Alps come together for their first meeting. The next edition of the Report will be dedicated to Alpine glaciers and permafrost, a topic of growing urgency in the face of climate change. The members discussed initial strategic and technical questions and began preparing the work for the coming months.
“The many fruitful exchanges during this week laid important foundations for the coming months. It was especially valuable to explore how the Thematic Working Bodies will contribute to the Italian Presidency’s programme as well as the implementation of the Multi-Annual Work Programme,” said Secretary General of the Alpine Convention, Alenka Smerkolj.
This engaging week of events laid important foundations for the coming months of activities under the Italian Presidency. More insights into Italy’s priorities and programme are available here, as well as a provisional calendar of all events planned for 2025-2026.