Project – Central Mountains

2022, European, Financing, Governance and Sustainable Development, Project, Research Areas, Typology

May 24, 2023

Principal/Financier: European Commission – Interreg Central Europe Program.
Period: 04.2023-03.2026.
Budget: 1,867,921.60 EUR.
Partners: Rzeszów County (PL) (Lead Partner ); Association of the Carpathian Euroregion (PL); Association of Towns and Communities of Slovakia (SK); Carpathian-Hungary Foundation (HU); Association of Regional Brands (CZ); Landscape Protection Foundation (PL); Eurac research (IT); EGTC Alpine Pearls ltd (AT); CIPRA International Lab (AT); Brasov County (RO).
Description: The Alps and Carpathians are important natural corridors connecting many Central European countries. Unfortunately, cross-border cooperation in mountain areas often lacks a common vision. To change this situation, the Central Mountains project aims to implement a common strategy and regional action plans to create functional cross-border areas. Cooperation between Alpine-Carpathian regions is thus strengthened and promoted by improving governance structures and operational strategies.
Overall Goal: Strengthen and improve governance models in Central European mountain areas, with a focus on cross-border and transnational cooperation structures, to solve common challenges of sustainable development of mountain regions.
Objectives:
- Develop strategic cooperation between the Alps and the Carpathians by involving relevant stakeholders following a participatory, multilevel and multi-sectoral (public, private, NGO) approach.
- Integrating new models and structures of transnational and cross-border cooperation in the context of Central European mountain areas to solve common challenges of sustainable development.
- Strengthen the capacities of Alpine-Carpathian stakeholders in order to improve cross-border governance structures with concrete solutions and mobilize policy makers for strong and structured political support.
Expected outcomes:
- 1 Alpine-Carpathian joint strategy for the sustainable development of Central European mountain areas.
- 4 transnational action plans that translate the joint strategy into cross-border actions based on mountain areas.
- 6 pilot projects that field test innovative governance structures.
- 1 set of solutions for the creation and capitalization of governance structures in mountain areas.
- At least 20 targeted events to mobilize stakeholders and policy makers for better governance in mountain areas (8 workshops, 8 road shows, 3 presentations at high-level events: Alpine and Carpathian Convention, 1 final conference).