Ursula Heinen-Esser, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Environment Ministry, has honoured the success of the Alpine Convention on the occasion of its 20th anniversary, highlighting the cooperation of the Alpine countries in all areas important for the sustainable development of this mountain region and the protection of the sensitive ecosystem of the Alps. At the 11th Alpine Conference in Brdo (Slovenia), Ms Heinen-Esser spoke about the rapid changes in environmental policies due to globalisation during the last 20 years: "When the Alpine Convention was first negotiated, protection targets were its main priority. Nowadays, policies based on environmental protection and sound resource management are also strategies for innovation and growth."
She continued: "Current environmental issues such as climate change, energy efficiency, renewable energies, the conservation of biodiversity and resource efficiency have been added to the more traditional topics of Alpine policies. And these are not topics limited to the Alpine region. Germany therefore supports the current debate of the Alpine Conference about a European Alpine strategy." EU strategies for the macro regions Baltic Sea and Danube are already in place.
"We could further increase political awareness of the Alpine Convention above all through joint projects of the Alpine countries in this region", added Ms Heinen-Esser. This would significantly boost the additional value of transboundary cooperation. The support programmes of EU cohesion policy would provide financing instruments to this end. Ms Heinen-Esser pointed out that such projects were the preferred option for the future implementation of the objectives of the Alpine Convention for Germany, for example the particular commitment of the Federal Environment Ministry to the joint project "Climate Neutral Alps 2050" as a contribution to the Action Plan on Climate Change in the Alpine Space of the Alpine Conference.
The Federal Environment Ministry also supports measures for an ecological network throughout the Alps. The transboundary interlinking of protected areas contributes to protecting biodiversity in the Alpine region, as biodiversity does not stop at national borders. The German-Austrian region Berchtesgaden-Salzburg is a pioneer of ecological networking in the Alps. On the occasion of the Alpine Conference the Federal Environment Ministry is making funding available for this region to advance the initiative. "A network of protected areas with a transboundary national park, a biosphere reserve and a nature park and protected areas across the border is an ideal starting point for a transregional network", commented Parliamentary State Secretary Heinen-Esser at the presentation of the funding certificate to German representatives of the pilot region Berchtesgaden-Salzburg.
Background:
The Alpine Convention, which was predominantly initiated by Germany, aims to ensure the sustainable development of the most significant mountain region in Europe. It was the first legally binding instrument for an entire mountain region worldwide. Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, Liechtenstein, Monaco and the European Community are the contracting parties. The Alpine Conference is the most important decision taking body of the contracting parties to the Alpine Convention and convenes every two years. The 11th Alpine Conference will take place in Brdo pri Kranju on 8 and 9 March 2011. At the conclusion of the conference Switzerland will take over from Slovenia as chair for the next two years.