AG4 - 14th Action Group Meeting

With the kick-off of AlpGov 2 [1] at the beginning of 2020, EUSALP had entered into its 2^nd implementation period. As opposed to AlpGov 1, the focus has been put more strongly on EUSALP action groups (AGs) becoming key players in policy-making. Enhancing cooperation between the 9 AGs also constitutes one central objective of the project. For the latter, five Strategic Policy Areas (SPAs) have been defined:

• SPA 1 – Carbon-neutral Alpine area
• SPA 2 – Innovation Facility
• SPA 3 – Smart Villages
• SPA 4 – Spatial Planning
• SPA 5 – Innovation Hub for Green Business

AGs contribute to these SPAs according to their specific competencies. AG4 had been contributing to SPAs 1, 3 and 4 with different activities part of its new Work Plan 2020-2022.

Going on to innovative propulsion systems and fuels in the Alpine region, the AG4 investigation focusing especially on hydrogen was currently in the data collection and analysis process. After the finalisation of the study, foreseen for the end of 2020, the task for AG4 would be to arrive at a common standpoint on the issue of alternative fuels to be able to communicate it to, and hence have an impact on, relevant stakeholders.

On another note, the yearlong process of developing and applying an AG4 Methodology for a Systemic Assessment of Individual Projects had almost come to an end. Three evaluators had assessed 29 submitted project proposals and arrived at a total number of 14 projects receiving the “EUSALP AG4 Label”. The label indicates their relevance for the fostering of sustainable mobility in the Alpine area from a macroregional perspective. The final step of the process consisted in the promotion of the labelled projects to the relevant stakeholders in order to obtain support for their implementation.

A draft EUSALP AG4 Proposal for a Political Statement, titled “Towards a coordinated policy framework”, had been complemented by some statements based on the findings of the AG4 investigation on alternative fuels, on the one hand, and on the developments related to COVID-19, on the other hand. After agreeing on it within AG4, it still had to be approved by the EUSALP Executive Board. Only after that could it be forwarded to political representatives at regional, national and EU levels.

In a similar activity, the AG4 Lead had contributed to the position paper on the Eurovignette Directive published by iMONITRAF! [2] and CIPRA International [3] in August 2020. The main messages are 1) that modal shift shall remain the major objective of the Eurovignette Directive, and 2) that the European Council should arrive at an agreement as swiftly as possible.

Furthermore, several projects showing remarkable synergies with the work of AG4 were presented in the course of the meeting: LinkingAlps, Alpimed Mobil, and ASTUS. Apart from that, AG had been keeping up its close collaboration with the Transport Working Group of the Alpine Convention [4].

Xavier Garcia and Olivier Margouet, the AG4 co-leaders from Région Sud Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, informed that the 4^th Mobility Conference, foreseen for November 3^rd, was almost certainly going to be rescheduled to 2021 because the online format wouldn’t allow for the necessary discussion that is usually part of such a conference. They expected the 15^th AG4 Meeting, foreseen to be taking place in Marseille on November 4^th, to be shifted to a video conference tool, once again.

P. Skoniezki closed the meeting, noting that active discussion had been able to take place despite the virtual format and thanking everyone for the participation. Do not hesitate to contact the AG4 Lead Team for further information on contents: eusalp.mobility@tirol.gv.at.