‘Clean air – It’s your move!’
Acting together towards sustainable mobility in the Alps - European Mobility Week
The Permanent Secretariat of the Alpine Convention is happy to support the European initiative:
European Mobility Week, that is carried out for the 12th time between 16th to 22nd September
2013 in more than 2,000 cities across Europe under the slogan “Clean air – It’s your move!”. “The
Alpine Convention is promoting sustainable transport throughout the year, but the following week of
European Mobility will highlight even further the attractiveness of sustainable mobility in the Alps!”,
stresses the new Secretary General of the Alpine Convention, Mr. Markus Reiterer. Many local
authorities in the Contracting parties of the Alpine convention decided to participate in the initiative
and will organize activities to promote the important message of this initiative during the week.
The Alpine Convention’s main instrument on transport matters is the Transport Protocol. The
Protocol is an international treaty that has entered into force for Austria, France, Germany, Italy
Liechtenstein and Slovenia. September 25th 2013, will mark the day when it also enters into force for
the European Union. “The entry into force of the Transport Protocol for the European Union is an
important milestone in the path towards sustainable mobility in the Alps. A political and legal step
that will contribute to shape the legal and policy framework for traffic in the Alps in which national,
regional and local authorities develop and implement their activities” underlines the Secretary
General Markus Reiterer.
From its establishment in 2003 onwards the Permanent Secretariat of the Alpine Convention is
actively promoting sustainable transport and soft mobility and organizes different activities to
support this cause. One of these projects is the so-called SuperAlp! – an alpine crossing using
sustainable means of transport. It was organized for the 7th time this year with a dozen international
journalists participating. The aim of SuperAlp! is the promotion of sustainable mobility in the Alps
and presentations of the Alpine way of life, culture, nature and good practices from the territory
through press all around the world. The Permanent Secretariat is also glad to support important
projects carried out in the scope of the Alpine Space Program, like AlpInfoNet. The project’s goal is to
improve and connect already existing information systems in transport and tourism in order to
facilitate the accessibility of the Alpine territory and the local mobility for users with comprehensive
information about sustainable transport modes. Thanks to the involvement of several alpine
partners, the integrated system will be tested in several pilot areas in the alpine region.
Even with the ratifications and notable activities, like European Mobility Week, sustainable transport
is not easily achieved; a steady progress is needed in the transport of goods and in supporting
inhabitants and tourists to opt for sustainable modes of transport in urban and rural areas.
The Alpine Convention is an agreement between the eight Alpine countries (Austria, Germany,
France, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Switzerland and Slovenia) and the European Union, which aims
to promote the protection of the Alps and their by-sustainable development. The Alpine Convention
is the world's first legally binding international Treaty for the protection of mountain regions. For the
first time a mountain area was defined as a functional unit as well as geographical cultural and
economic environment facing common challenges. For the period 2013 – 2014 Italy has the
Presidency of the Alpine Convention.
For more information www.alpconv.org
Contact:
Giulia Gaggia,
Permanent Secretariat of the Alpine Convention
Phone: +39.0471.055 352
[email protected]