Alpine Convention

Geographic area of the Alpine Convention

The geographic area of the Alpine Convention covers a 190717 km2 encompassing 5867 municipalities (data from 2013). The Alpine Range as defined by the Alpine Convention stretches across 1200 km, through eight states, and its maximum width is 300 km, between Bavaria and Northern Italy. The entire territories of Monaco and Liechtenstein are included. Austria and Italy together represent more than 55% of the convention area. With France, these three states cover the three-quarter of the total surface of the Alpine Convention territory. In 2013, the total population of this area was approaching 15 million inhabitants.

The Institutions of the Alpine Convention

The Alpine Conference

The Alpine Conference is the body that takes the most important decisions on behalf of the convention. The conference is held at the end of each two-year presidency of the Alpine Convention, which rotates between the contracting parties. The conference is chaired by the current presidency, for the period 2022–2024 the presidency is held by Slovenia.

All the Alpine Conferences:

The Permanent Committee

The permanent committee is the executive body of the Alpine Convention. It is composed of all member delegations and guarantees that the basis, the principles and the objectives of the convention are implemented. The permanent committee analyses the information submitted by the member states in implementing the convention and reports to the Alpine Conference; prepares programs for meetings of the Alpine Convention and proposes the agenda; sets up working groups that have to formulate Protocols and recommendations and it coordinates their activities; examines and harmonizes the contents of draft Protocols and makes proposals to the Alpine Conference.

The permanent committee meets twice a year.

The Compliance Committee

The compliance committee is the body that oversees implementation of the commitments and obligations taken under the Alpine Convention. Every 10 years, Contracting Parties have to publish a report concerning the implementation of the convention and its protocols. The first report was adopted at the Xth Alpine Conference (March 2009).

The Permanent Secretariat

The permanent secretariat, created in 2003, supports all the other bodies of the Alpine Convention by providing logistic and administrative support, and by helping the Contracting parties, especially in implementing projects. The secretariat has its main office in Innsbruck, Austria, and a branch office in Bolzano-Bozen, Italy, and is headed by a secretary general, currently Alenka Smerkolj.

Thematic Working Bodies

The permanent committee can establish thematic working bodies, with two-year mandates, on topics it considers relevant to support sustainable development within the Alps. The main responsibility of these working groups is the development of new protocols, recommendations and implementation measures, studies of ongoing developments and reports on the progress to the Alpine Conference and permanent committee.

Nine working groups and platforms are currently active:

• Working Group Transport
• Natural Hazards Platform
• Ecological Network Platform
• Water Management Platform in the Alpine space
• Large Carnivores and Wild Ungulates and Society Platform – WISO
• Working Group "Macro-regional strategy for the Alps"
• "Mountain Farming" Platform
• "Mountain Forest" Working group
• Expert Group -Report from the State of the Alps-

Working groups active in the past were:

• Working Group UNESCO World Heritage
• Working Group "Demography and Employment"
• "Sustainable tourism" Working group

Framework Convention and its Protocols

The first meeting of interested countries took place in Berchtesgaden in December 1989. On 7 November 1991 the Framework Convention was signed by Austria, Germany, France, Italy, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. Slovenia signed on 29 March 1993 and Monaco on 20 December 1994. Ratification occurred between 1994 and 1999. Below is a brief overview about the signatures and the state of ratification:

To date, Alpine states have signed all the protocols, except Monaco that did not sign the protocol 'Energy' and the European Union that did not sign the protocols 'Mountain Forests' and 'Settlement of disputes'. Regarding protocol ratification, Switzerland has not ratified any protocols yet.

Protocols and Declarations linked to the Framework Convention

Under the convention, Member States should adopt specific measures in twelve thematic areas (Population and Culture, Spatial Planning, Air pollution, Soil Conservation, Water Management, Conservation of Nature and the Countryside, Mountain Farming, Mountain Forests, Tourism, Transport, Energy, and Waste Management). Of these areas, eight are now protocols annexed to the Framework Convention:

• Spatial Planning and Sustainable Development;
• Mountain Farming;
• Conservation of Nature and Landscape Protection;
• Mountain Forests;
• Tourism;
• Soil Conservation;
• Energy;
• Transports.

Two new protocols, not related to a specific thematic area, have since been adopted:

• Settlement of disputes;
• Adherence of the Principality of Monaco to the Alpine Convention.

The Alpine Convention includes two Declarations that could not be turned into Protocols:

• Declaration on Population and Culture;
• Declaration on Climate Change.

Publications of the Permanent Secretariat of the Alpine Convention

Main source:

• Alpine Signals 1. The Alpine Convention- Reference guide, 2010, second edition, available in English, German, French, Italian and Slovenian.
• Alpine Signals 2. The Alpine Convention is taking shape, 2004, available in German, French, Italian and Slovenian.
• Alpine Signals 3. Cross-border ecological network, 2004, available in German, French, Italian and Slovenian.
• Alpine Signals 4. Natural events documentation, 2006, available in German, French, Italian and Slovenian.
• Alpine Signals 5. Mitigation and adaptation to climate change in the Alpine Space, 2008
• Alpine Signals 6
• Report on the State of the Alps #1. Transport and Mobility, 2007
• Report on the State of the Alps #2. Water and water management issues, 2009
• Report on the State of the Alps #3. Sustainable rural development and innovation, 2011
• Report on the State of the Alps #4. Sustainable tourism in the Alps, 2013
• Report on the State of the Alps #5. Demographic changes in the Alps, 2015
• Report on the State of the Alps #6. Greening the economy in the Alpine region, 2017
• Towards Renewable Alps . Towards Renewable Alps, 2017
• Multi-Annual Work Programme of the Alpine Conference 2017–2022. Multi-Annual Work Programme of the Alpine Conference 2017–2022, 2017
• The Alps-Eight countries, a single territory, 2009; second edition, 2016
• PER ALPES. Discovering the Alps in 20 circular walks, 2010
• THE ALPS. People and pressures in the mountains, the facts at a glance. Vademecum, 2010
• Establishing an Alpine Ecological Network, 2007
• Alpine Signals FOCUS 1
• Implementation manuals of the Alpine Convention and best practice
• Environmental Protection and Mountains

References

References

1. [http://www.alpconv.org/sl/publications/alpine/Documents/AS1_sl.pdf Alpski signali 1] {{Webarchive. link. (12 April 2017 Alpine convention webpage, 02/10/2012.)
2. [http://www.alpconv.org/theconvention/conv06_CC_ en.htm Presentation of the Steering Committee]{{Dead link. (October 2018)
3. [http://www.alpconv.org/en/organization/groups/WGTransport/default.html Working Group Transport] {{Webarchive. link. (20 October 2013 from the Alpine Convention website, consulted on 2 October 2012)
4. [http://www.alpconv.org/en/organization/groups/WGHazards/default.html Natural Hazards Platform] {{Webarchive. link. (20 October 2013 from the Alpine Convention website, consulted on 2 October 2012)
5. [http://www.alpconv.org/en/organization/groups/WGEcologicalNetwork/default.html Ecological Network Platform] {{Webarchive. link. (20 October 2013 from the Alpine Convention website, consulted on 2 October 2012)
6. [http://www.alpconv.org/en/organization/groups/WGWater/default.html Water management Platform in the Alpine Space] {{Webarchive. link. (20 October 2013 from the Alpine Convention website, consulted on 12 October 2012)
7. [http://www.alpconv.org/en/organization/groups/WGCarnivores/default.html Large Carnivores and Wild Ungulates Platform] {{Webarchive. link. (20 October 2013 from the Alpine Convention website, consulted on 2 October 2012)
8. [http://www.alpconv.org/en/organization/groups/WGMacroregionalstrategy/default.html Working Group "Macro-regional strategy for the Alps"] {{Webarchive. link. (20 October 2013 from the Alpine Convention website, consulted on 1 October 2012)
9. [http://www.alpconv.org/en/organization/groups/WGFarming/default.html "Mountain Farming" Platform] {{Webarchive. link. (20 October 2013 from the Alpine Convention website, consulted on 1 October 2012)
10. [http://www.alpconv.org/en/organization/groups/WGFOREST/default.html "Mountain Forest" Working group]{{Dead link. (June 2020)
11. [http://www.alpconv.org/en/AlpineKnowledge/RSA/default.html Expert Group -Report from the State of the Alps-] {{Webarchive. link. (20 October 2013 from the Alpine Convention website, consulted on 2 October 2012)
12. [http://www.alpconv.org/en/organization/groups/WGUNESCO/default.html Working Group UNESCO World Heritage] {{Webarchive. link. (20 October 2013 from the Alpine Convention website, consulted on 2 October 2012)
13. [http://www.alpconv.org/en/organization/groups/WGDemography/default.html Working Group "Demography and Employment"] {{Webarchive. link. (20 October 2013 from the Alpine Convention website, consulted on 2 October 2012)
14. [http://www.alpconv.org/en/organization/groups/tourism/default.html "Sustainable tourism" Working group]{{Dead link. (June 2020)
15. [http://www.alpconv.org/theconvention/conv03_en.htm State of Ratification] {{Webarchive. link. (13 February 2011 from the Alpine Convention website, consulted on 16 January 2011)
16. [http://www.alpconv.org/en/convention/ratifications/default.html State of Ratifications] {{Webarchive. link. (28 January 2013 from the Alpine Convention website, consulted on 2 October 2011)
17. [http://www.alpconv.org/en/convention/framework/default.html Article 2 of the Framework Convention] {{Webarchive. link. (28 January 2013 from the Alpine Convention website, consulted on 1 October 2012)
18. [http://www.alpconv.org/en/convention/protocols/default.html List and integral texts of the Framework Convention Protocols] {{Webarchive. link. (28 January 2013 from the Alpine Convention website, consulted on 2 October 2012)
19. [http://www.alpconv.org/en/convention/protocols/Documents/Protokoll_RaumplanungGB.pdf Protocol Spatial Planning and Sustainable Development] {{Webarchive. link. (17 July 2019 from the Alpine Convention website, consulted on 2 October 2012)
20. [http://www.alpconv.org/en/convention/protocols/Documents/MountainfarmingProtocolEN.pdf Protocol Mountain Farming] {{Webarchive. link. (15 January 2014 from the Alpine Convention website, consulted on 2 October 2012)
21. [http://www.alpconv.org/en/convention/protocols/Documents/protokoll_naturschutzGB.pdf Protocol Conservation of Nature and Landscape Protection] {{Webarchive. link. (17 July 2019 from the Alpine Convention website, consulted on 2 October 2012)
22. [http://www.alpconv.org/en/convention/protocols/Documents/protokoll_bergwaldGB.pdf Protocol Mountain Forests] {{Webarchive. link. (7 June 2017 from the Alpine Convention website, consulted on 2 October 2012)
23. [http://www.alpconv.org/en/convention/protocols/Documents/TourismProtocolEN.pdf Protocol Tourism] {{Webarchive. link. (5 March 2016 from the Alpine Convention website, consulted on 2 October 2012)
24. [http://www.alpconv.org/en/convention/protocols/Documents/SoilProtocolEN.pdf Protocol Soil Conservation] {{Webarchive. link. (17 July 2019 from the Alpine Convention website, consulted on 2 October 2012)
25. [http://www.alpconv.org/en/convention/protocols/Documents/EnergyProtocolEN.pdf Protocol Energy] {{Webarchive. link. (17 July 2019 from the Alpine Convention website, consulted on 2 October 2012)
26. [http://www.alpconv.org/en/convention/protocols/Documents/transportprotocolEN.pdf Protocol Transport] {{Webarchive. link. (21 December 2016 from the Alpine Convention website, consulted on 2 October 2012)
27. [http://www.alpconv.org/en/convention/protocols/Documents/Prot_composizionecontroversieGB.pdf Protocol Solution of litigations]{{Dead link. (December 2024)
28. [http://www.alpconv.org/en/convention/protocols/Documents/protMonaco_GB_intralp.pdf Protocol Adherence of the Principality of Monaco to the Alpine Convention]{{Dead link. (December 2024)
29. [http://www.alpconv.org/en/convention/protocols/Documents/PopCult_en.pdf Declaration on Population and Culture] {{Webarchive. link. (5 March 2016 from the Alpine Convention website, consulted on 2 October 2012)
30. [http://www.alpconv.org/en/convention/protocols/Documents/AC_IX_declarationclimatechange_en_fin.pdf Declaration on Climate Change] {{Webarchive. link. (6 March 2016 from the Alpine Convention website, consulted on 2 October 2012)
31. "Publications & Multimedia". Alpconv.
32. [https://www.alpconv.org/en/home/news-publications/publications-multimedia/ Publications & Multimedia] from the Alpine Convention website, consulted on 14 September 2023
33. [http://www.alpconv.org/documents/Permanent_Secretariat/web/RSAI/RSA_eng_20071128_low.pdf Report on the State of the Alps #1] {{Webarchive. link. (17 July 2011 from the Alpine Convention website, consulted on 16 January 2011)
34. [http://www.alpconv.org/documents/Permanent_Secretariat/web/RSAII/20090625_RSA_II_long.pdf Report on the State of the Alps #2] {{Webarchive. link. (17 July 2011 from the Alpine Convention website, consulted on 16 January 2011)
35. [http://www.alpconv.org/documents/Permanent_Secretariat/web/library/AlpenkonventionsBuch.pdf The Alps-Eight countries, a single territory] {{Webarchive. link. (20 February 2011 from the Alpine Convention website, consulted on 16 January 2011)
36. [http://www.alpconv.org/documents/Permanent_Secretariat/web/library/Vademecum_web.pdf THE ALPS. People and pressures in the mountains] {{Webarchive. link. (9 April 2011 from the Alpine Convention website, consulted on 16 January 2011)
37. [http://www.alpconv.org/documents/Permanent_Secretariat/web/library/AlpEcNet.pdf Establishing an Alpine Ecological Network] {{Webarchive. link. (8 July 2011 from the Alpine Convention website, consulted on 16 January 2011)