After analysing the legal framework of protected areas in the different Alpine States (nature protection, spatial planning, ecological connectivity and transborder cooperation)2 during the course of Action 6.1, action 6.2 will focus on the regional level (Pilot Regions). The legal situation of the protected areas. surroundings will be analysed, in order to identify their potential to play a pro-active role in the ecological network creation process. The two main issues are the following:
. The institutionalisation of transborder cooperation between protected areas
. The identification of legal solutions for creating/improving an ecological networking
process in the different ECONNECT Pilot Regions.

Hence the key questions to be solved appear:
- What would the most appropriate legal instruments be in order to realize/improve transborder cooperation?
- What could the most appropriate legal instruments be for overcoming the obstacles to the establishment of ecological networks?
Comparative analysis is the core of Action 6.2. We shall therefore examine the juridical framework of specific measures and other measures concerning the conservation of nature, the management of the territory and transborder cooperation.