XII European Mountain Conve “Smart mountains: how to make our territories attractive and future-oriented?”

25 octubre, 2022 - All day - 27 octubre, 2022 -

The XII European Mountain Convention will be organised on 25 – 26 – 27 October 2022 in the Sila National Natural Park and Biosphere Reserve, Italy, by Euromontana in collaboration with Cia – Agricoltori Italiani.​

One day of study visits and two days of conference to define a sustainable strategy for the development of smart mountains towards 2050 and provide the basis for more integrated and effective public policies, contributing to the sustainable development of mountain areas and the quality of life of mountain communities.

DAY 1, TUESDAY 25TH OCTOBER 2022

Location: La Nave della Sila Museum

8.30 – 17.00 Three study visits will be organised around the Sila National Park and Biosphere Reserve. Details of these study visits are available here

18.00 – 20.00 General Assembly of Euromontana (for Euromontana members only)

From 20.30 Dinner at  La Nave della Sila Museum

DAY 2, WEDNESDAY 26TH OCTOBER 2022

Location: La Nave della Sila Museum 

8.30 – 9.30 Registrations 

9.30 – 9.45 Official opening: Welcome by Juanan Gutiérrez Lazpita, President of Euromontana

09.45 – 10.10 Welcome words by Italian organisers: Roberto Occhiuto, President of the Calabria Region, Cristiano Fini, CIA agricoltori Italiani President and Francesco Curcio, President of Sila National Park

 10.10 – 12.00 Session 1: How can European policies support a smarter approach in mountain areas? Moderator: Juanan Gutiérrez Lazpita, President of Euromontana

High level panel:

  • Elisa Ferreira, Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms (via video message)

  • Ole Gustav Narud, State Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, Norway

  • Herbert Dorfmann, Member of the European Parliament and member of the Intergroup on Rural, Mountainous and Remote Areas & Smart Villages

  • Władysław Ortyl, Marshal of the Podkarpackie Region, Poland & member of the European Committee of the Regions

  • Roberto Berutti, member of the Cabinet of the European Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski

  • Giuseppe Blasi, Head of Department for European and International Policies and Rural Development at the  Italian Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Policies

Questions & Answers with the audience 

12.00 – 14.00 Lunch 

14.00 – 15.30 Session 2: How can smart governance help shape future-oriented mountain areas? Moderator: Guillaume Corradino, Director of Euromontana

Specific governance in EU mountains - Panorama of good practices in different EU countries. Stefano Sala - UNIMONT, University of Milan

Round table: how can we leverage new participatory processes to design and implement smarter territorial development strategies?

  • The importance of participative democracy in cohesive communities. Tom Jones, President of the European Rural Community Alliance (ERCA)

  • The New European Bauhaus of Mountains. Giulia Paoletti, Researcher at Eurac Research

  • Perspectives from the Trans-Pyrenean Youth Forum. Idoia Arauzo González, Coordinator of the Development and Dynamisation Unit of the Pyrenees Working Community

  • Perspective from the EUSALP Youth Council. Maxime Bernard, Youth Councillor for EUSALP

  • The importance of governance in a smart village project. Thierry Antoine-Santoni, Senior Lecturer at the Pasquale Paoli University of Corsica & Scientific coordinator of the Smart Paesi project​

Questions & Answers with the audience

15.30 – 16.00 Coffee-break

 16.00 – 17.45 Session 3: How to develop innovative solutions for a better quality of life in the mountains? Sharing good practices

Three parallel workshops to exchange good practices from the field and to see how a better quality of life can be developed in the mountains and how population can wish to come and stay in the mountains. Each workshop with consist in the showcase of inspirational initiatives, followed by an interactive discussion on how to tackle the challenge. The output of the discussions will directly feed the Final Declaration of the European Mountain Convention. Please select your workshop when registering.

From 20.00 Gala Diner at Torre Camigliati

DAY 3, THURSDAY 27TH OCTOBER 2022

Location: La Nave della Sila Museum

09.00 – 10.20 Session 4: How can research and innovation help boost the attractivity and resilience of mountain areas? Moderator: Bernat  Claramunt i López, Researcher at the Research Centre for Forest Ecology and Applications (CREAF) and coordinator of the Network for European Mountain Research (NEMOR) 

  • Research and innovation as drivers of vibrant, sustainable and attractive rural areas. Enrique Nieto, Head of Policy Unit at AEIDL

  • How to develop social innovation in marginalised rural areas? Policy lessons and practical examples. Bill Slee, Honorary Research Fellow at James Hutton Institute and representative of the SIMRA project.

  • Understanding drivers of change in mountain areas to enhance resilience: findings from the MOVING project. Mar Delgado-Serrano, Researcher at University of Cordoba and Coordinator of the MOVING Project

  • An innovation hub for mountain development. Marc Pons, Director at Andorra Research & Innovation 

  • Questions & Answers

10.20 – 10.50 Coffee-break 

10.50 – 12.35 Session 5: Which economic tools and sectors to encourage? Sharing good practices

Three parallel workshops to exchange good practices from the field and to see how to diversify mountain activities and encourage sustainable development of resources keeping balance between the socio, eco and environmental dimensions. Each workshop with consist in the showcase of inspirational initiatives, followed by an interactive discussion on how to tackle the challenge. The output of the discussions will directly feed the Final Declaration of the European Mountain Convention. Please select your workshop when registering.

Official Closure 

12.50 - 13.00 The measures and actions for mountain areas in the Rural Development Programme of region Calabria. Dr. Giacomo Giovinazzo General Director of the Agriculture Department and Managing Authority of the Rural Development Programme Calabria

13.00 - 13.10 The new professional: the shepherd 4.0. Pasquale Tridico, President of INPS

13.10 - 13.20 Final intervention and acknowledgements: Gianluca Gallo, Councillor for Agriculture at the Region of Calabria & Nicodemo Podella, Regional President of the Cia Agricoltori Italiani Calabria

13.20 – 13.30 Policy Declaration for Smart Mountains, Juanan Gutiérrez, President of Euromontana and Guillaume Corradino, Director of Euromontana 

13.30 – 15.00 Networking lunch

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