AUSTRIA | LIECHTENSTEIN EUSALP CO-PRESIDENCY 2025 “COOPERATION EMPOWERS TRANSFORMATION”

On January 1st 2025 Austria and Liechtenstein are taking over the EUSALP Presidency for one year. This year will not only mark 10 years of EUSALP, but also be the first time that two countries will take over the EUSALP Presidency together. Moreover, in Austria the Presidency will by assumed in partnership between two federal Ministries and the Länder of Tyrol, Carinthia, Salzburg and Vorarlberg. 

The Alpine Region is facing important transformation processes to keep its outstanding natural assets, maintain its outstanding quality of life and to also remain one of the European powerhouses. Mobility transition, Energy transition and the transformation of the construction industry towards circularity are amongst these main transformation challenges and can only accomplished in cooperation of all alpine states and regions. Cooperation empowers transformation will therefore be the motto of the Austrian-Liechtenstein Co-Presidency.

1. Mobility transition: sustainable, energy-efficient, multimodal

The Presidency's key goals include maximizing existing infrastructure to shift traffic from road to rail, developing sustainable mobility services in the Alps, and ensuring climate-resilient infrastructure.

2. Energy transition: Future-proof and sustainable establishment of renewable energies

The EUSALP Presidency 2025 focuses on establishment and expansion of a resilient infrastructure, balanced energy supply, conflict management in renewable expansion, and collaboration among Alpine countries for energy security.

3. Transformation of the construction industry: Circular construction and renovation

The EUSALP 2025 presidency focuses on working together to develop common principles for the circular economy, methods for extending the life cycle of buildings, the use of regional raw materials, job profiles and training in circular construction, and guidelines for action and support measures for circular construction projects. The aim is to accelerate the exchange of good practice, experience and expertise through cooperation across the Alpine regions.

Moreover, the Austrian-Liechtenstein co-presidency will also focus on important institutional objectives to improve the governance of the strategy:

1. Continue steering the process of revision of the EUSALP Action Plan

2. Improving the effectiveness and focussing of the working groups, also with regard to coherence with the Action Plan

3. Ensuring and improving technical support for EUSALP stakeholders after the current funding period and embedding

4. Strengthening youth participation

5. Close cooperation with the Alpine Convention and Interreg Alpine Space.

Austria and Liechtenstein are aware of their responsibility to lead EUSALP into a new period of enhanced cooperation after ten years in order to master the current and future tasks and challenges for the Alpine region.

We are confident that this will succeed if all participating states and regions and their representatives support the work processes with attention, commitment, courage, a spirit of cooperation and the resources necessary for collaboration.

2025 Presidency Calendar

Presidency calendar of events

(pdf - 500 KB)

FEBRUARY

4. February 2025, Ruggell (FL) - EB Meeting                                                                                         

4. February 2025, Ruggell (FL) - BAGL Meeting   

4. February 2025 (Evening) Vaduz (FL) - Presidency Kick-off Event

5. February 2025, Ruggell (FL) - EB-BAGL Meeting

5. February 2025, Ruggell (FL) - Trio Meeting

MARCH

17./18. March (lunch-to-lunch), Vienna - EB Meeting

MAY

21.May (Lunch-to-lunch, either including the day before or after), Vienna - EB Meeting

JUNE

11./12. June 2025, Villach - EB Meeting

SEPTEMBER

11./12. September 2025, Vienna - EB od. EB- BAGL

24./26. September 2025, Brussels - EU MRS Week

OCTOBER

23.October 2025, Salzburg - EB-BAGL-Meeting

NOVEMBER

25.November 2025, Innsbruck - EUSALP General Assembly

 

 

FEBRUARY

27.2. February 2025, Salzburg - CIPRA Annual Conference: “High Voltage in the Alps”

Energy transition and renaturation are often in conflict with each other. The CIPRA 2025 annual conference will explore how Alpine spatial planning can mediate between the different demands and how it can manage the pressure on mountain regions. More on CIPRA (e)

MARCH

5.-6. March 2025, Salzburg - Salz21 – Forum for technology and Innovation Salzburg

The EUSALP 2025 Presidency Priority on the circular transformation of the construction industry will inspire this annual Forum on technology and innovation with several contributions:

International, interdisciplinary session on circular building and renovation on main stage on 5. March.

MAY

5.-7.May 2025, Innsbruck - Inter-Alpine Natural Hazards-Conference (INAC)

International Conference on technical protection measures, nature-based solutions and innovative safety concepts for natural hazard processes. More here INAC Conference | Conference for natural Hazards and risk management

8.Mai 2025, Bregenz - Conference on Energy Supply in the Alps

The conference will deal with important aspects on energy transition, in particular

  • Digitized power distribution networks
  • Better integration of renewable energies and innovative storage technologies (hydrogen, batteries, pumped storage)
  • Impact of household electrification on networks
  • Load management.
JUNE

11. June 2025 (morning), Villach - AG 9 meets the Alpine Convention’s Energy Expert Forum on spatial conflicts of interest in relation to renewable energies

Main topics of this event will be

  • Hydropower
  • Energy security

Resolving conflicts of use on space.

JULY

July (tbd), Graz (tbc) - Symposium” 50 Years of Hazard Mapping in Alpine Space”

Symposium” 50 Years of Hazard Mapping in Alpine Space” : Comparison and exchange on hazard mapping systems and their implementation in Spatial planning

SEPTEMBER

2.-5. September 2025 Wien (BOKU, Türkenschanze) - Conference "Sustainability in Hydropower“

Scientific Conference on

  • Lessons learned, best practises and sustainable Management
  • Good governance and long-term changes of the water resources Systems
  • Evidence based solutions for sustainable management of hydropower Impacts
  • Hydropeaking flexibility and impacts downstream HP outlets and solutions
  • Connectivity, barrier and solutions
  • International hydropower sustainability and LCA
  • Reservoirs, their role in the Future energy system and the effects of environmental contraints

14.-18. September 2025 (exact date tbd, 1 day), Innsbruck - Expert Seminar „The territorial Dimension of EUSALP“

Discussing the territorial dimension of EUSALP Actions and themes

OCTOBER

Early October (tbd), Galtür - Policy Forum „Protective Function of Forests – Essential for the Alpine Living Space“

22. October 2025, Salzburg - Conference on Alpine Construction

Sustainable and circular building and renovation in an Alpine context. Extending the understanding of the circular economy to all areas of life.

NOVEMBER

25./26. November 2025 Innsbruck - EUSALP Annual Forum

  • Synthesis and outlook on the chairmanship topics and cross-cutting issues
  • ‘Showcase’ and discussion on the results of the AF´Gs
  • Event for the (specialised) public
  • Pitch your Project as inclusive part of the AF
  • Territorial dimension (results of several projects are available: Spatial development perspective for EUSALP; working aid for AGs for Workplans 2025+)

27.November 2025, Innsbruck - EUSALP Mobility Conference (EUSALP AG4)

Contributions to a mobility transition in the Alps: Climate resilient infrastructure, using the potential of secondary infrastructure potential, mobility solutions on the “last mile”.

November 2025, Lienz - Digital Alps Conference (EUSALP AG5).

MAY

12./13. May 2025, Salzburg - 25 Years Alpine Space Programme

  • Reflection about the last 25 Years of Alpine wide cooperation
  • Panel discussions on cooperation in the Alps and beyond with (EC, AC, EUSALP, Interact, other areas/programmes)
  • Sessions on diverse future-oriented and relevant topics such as climate change adaptation, AI, circular economy, governance (impulses, meet and match, generation of project ideas)
  • Perspectives for the future of the Alpine Space (Programme)
  • Opening and promotion of the last call for projects
JUNE

27./28. June, Schaan (FL) - FutureForum Alps 2025: “H2O: precious, powerful, scarce”

The Forum will explore how climate crisis is affecting the alpine water resources and what will it take to ensure that we continue to have sufficient water as a habitat and resource in the future.

Organisation CIPRA international | Contact: futureforum@remove-this.cipra.org | www.futureforumalps.li

SEPTEMBER

28.-30. September 2025, Salzburg - IRE Salzburg Summit

Session on MRS and their added value. A part of the confrence will be dedicated to EUSALP.

19. Salzburg Europe Summit (salzburg-europe-summit.eu)

 

(pdf - 12.83 MB)