Germany has taken over the presidency of the Alpine Conference for the period 2015 - 2016. High-level representatives of the Federal Government and Bavaria presented the programme of the German presidency at the national opening event at the Federal Environment Ministry. The programme's heading is "The Alps - a symbol of European diversity".
Chair of the Alpine Conference, Federal Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks stated: "Green economy will be the guiding principle for all Alpine topics, from sustainable tourism, mountain and hill farming and mountain forests to energy efficient building and Alpine transport. Other focal points include nature conservation in the Alpine region and climate policy." An intensive exchange on how to harmonise alpine architecture, sustainability and energy efficiency is planned. The third iteration of the corresponding architectural competition "Constructive Alps", was announced by Switzerland and Liechtenstein during the event.
Federal Agriculture Minister Christian Schmidt commented: "The Alps represent a unique cultural landscape and play an important role for mountain farming and forestry, a role my ministry and I wish to highlight during the 2015 - 2016 period." The Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture will hold an international mountain farming conference in Spring 2016 to assess the impacts of the 2013 agricultural reform on mountain farming. The conference also aims to identify the greatest challenges mountain farmers face today with a view to taking further action and decisions. Federal Minister Schmidt will highlight the importance of mountain farming and forestry with the opening of the German pavilion at EXPO 2015 in Milan as part of the Alpine Days. "Mountain farming and mountain forest management play an important role in the sustainable conservation and use of the Alpine region and its further overall development. We need to find the balance between modern-day management techniques, reasonable profit, overall stable ecological status and a consistently tourism-oriented cultural landscape" added Minister Schmidt.
Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Transport Ministry, Dorothee Bär explained: "Conserving the mountain landscape and sustainable development are two goals we can only achieve through close cooperation. Against this background, we want to promote electric mobility across borders and encourage more tourists in the region to use public transport. At the same time we are working together to make high-speed internet available in the Alpine region."
Brigitte Zypries, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, commented: "Development in rural areas is particularly important to the German Government. Here, the tourism sector can contribute towards strengthening the economy, improving supply structures and creating more employment. It is therefore worthwhile to hold detailed exchanges between industry and society on how to make tourism in the Alpine region both profitable and sustainable."
In his speech at the opening event Peter Bleser, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Agriculture Ministry, emphasised: "We at the Federal Agriculture Ministry see it as our responsibility to support sustainable development of the Alpine region that includes human settlement and transport infrastructure, tourism, environmental protection and nature conservation. Our experiences in this area will then be incorporated into our policies to improve rural areas."
German Government representatives emphasised that the Alpine Convention can only be brought to life with the help of the region's inhabitants. The Free State of Bavaria, municipal Alpine networks, Alpine towns, Alpine protected areas and civil society are therefore important partners for the practical implementation of the convention.