Central Mountains

The Alps and the Carpathians are important nature corridors connecting many Central European countries. Unfortunately, cross-border cooperation in mountain areas often lacks a common vision. In the Central Mountains project, CIPRA International Lab, together with other project partners, is pursuing a transnational approach that strengthens and improves governance models in Alpine and Carpathian regions. The project runs until March 2026 within the framework of the European funding programme "Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE".

Title of the project: «From the Alps to the Carpathians – strengthening governance models for sustainable development of mountain areas in Central Europe»

Project partners:

• Rzeszów County - Lead Partner
• Association of Towns and Communities of Slovakia (Slovakia)
• Carpathian Foundation (Hungary)
• Association of Regional Brands (Czech Republic)
• Foundation of Landscape Protection (Poland)
• Eurac research (Italy)
• Institute of International Sociology of Gorizia (Italy)
• EGTC Alpine Pearls (Austria)
• CIPRA International Lab (Austria)
• Brasov County (Romania)

Countries: Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Romania, Italy, Austria

Objectives:

• Common, pioneering strategy for the mountain areas of the Alps and Carpathians, followed by action plans for selected areas.
• Renewed and operational structures, such as a platform for sustainable tourism in the Carpathians.
• Development and testing of cross-border functional areas as a new governance instrument for long-term cross-border cooperation.

Activities:

• Creation of a joint Alpine and Carpathian strategy for sustainable, people-driven development of mountain areas in Central Europe.
• Elaboration of four action plans for selected areas: for the development of sustainable tourism in the Carpathians, the future ECTZ Alpine Pearls, the involvement of citizens in decision-making processes in the Carpathians and in the field of public-private cooperation in the Sudetes for regional products and tourism services.
• Testing new transnational governance structures in Alpine and Carpathian mountain areas: A platform for sustainable tourism in the Carpathians, new Alpine EGTC (European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation) structures and a civil society platform in the Carpathians.
• Creation and testing of new cross-border functional areas in the mountain areas of the Carpathians and Sudetes (three pilot measures), including the development of a mobile application.
• Study trips to the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary and Slovakia.
• Road show with public events in the Alps, Carpathians and Sudetes.

Duration: April 2023 to March 2026

Funding amount: Total EUR 2,334,902.00 (80% co-financing) (CIPRA share EUR 200,200.00)

Funding: European Regional Development Fund Interreg Central Europe Programme 2021-2027

Further links: www.karpacki.pl/en/own-projects/central-mountains/ (en)