Objectives
"Terra in montibus" in Latin or "Land im Gebirge" in German - these terms for "land in the mountains" were formerly used for this large territory which, until the end of World War1, represented the historic entity of Tirol and was made up of what are now the Austrian province of Tirol and the Italian provinces Südtirol/Alto Adige and Trentino. For many centuries the territory included the largely independent ecclesiastical principalities of Brixen (Bressanone) and Trento, which had established special and legally complicated relations with the Counts of Tirol. The region has long been - and still is - characterized by a strong attachment to the land of the fathers and a wish for self-government. This common background is the main reason for the friendly relations between the provincial governments of Tirol, Südtirol/Alto Adige and Trentino, which go far beyond good formal relationships of neighbouring regions.
Cooperation between the three provinces covers many fields, especially the economy, traffic and communication services, culture, education, environment, tourism and various social areas. The current issues are, e.g. a jointly agreed traffic policy for the extremely sensitive area of the central Alps, combined efforts to transfer heavy traffic from road to rail, securing the cross-financing of the planned Brenner Tunnel from road tolls of the Brenner motorway, establishing a regular passenger service integrated with the existing transport services, common initiatives of the three universities in the field of information technology (BIT School) and the organisation of big thematic exhibitions like the one planned for 2005 on "The Future of Nature".
One of the most important objectives of the Euroregion is the improvement of the general conditions for a lasting development that considers both the sensitive eqilibrium of nature and environment and the economic necessities in the alpine region. Standing up for the interests of the alpine regions and their inhabitants is an expression of the population's wish for self-determination in shaping their living environment. These important objectives were laid down in the "Alpendeklaration"(declaration on development and protection of the alpine regions), a document presented by Messrs. Weingartner, Durnwalder and Dellai, the three governors of the provinces, in San Michele all'Adige on January 26, 2001. (see "Documents" for download). This programmatic declaration thus represents a kind of Magna Carta for the lasting development of the three provinces of the Euroregion, and it is also intended to encourage other alpine regions to act in a similar way.
The cooperation between the three provinces within the Euroregion has become well established and thus it has been possible to achieve important results. One of them is a common liaison office which the three provincial governments set up some years ago in Brussels to represent the region at the EU. Another important initiative was implemented at "Expo 2000" in Hannover where the three provinces - unlike all the national exhibitors - presented themselves on a common stand.
The three provinces Tirol, Südtirol/Alto Adige and Trentino are thus connected by a tight network of friendly relations that bring about lively exchanges in many fields and are based on many centuries of shared history and considerable similarities in their geographical situations, environmental conditions and cultural, social and economic life.
The name "Euroregion" is derived from the regulations of the "Madrid Convention", the convention of the European Council on cross-border cooperation between the regions of Europe agreed upon in 1980. (see "Documents" for download)
In fact, the three provinces see themselves somehow as the "heart of Europe", and they do so not only from a geographical point of view. As may be seen, there is ample reason to find out more about this interesting region.
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