Monaco hosts the 39th meeting of the Compliance Committee of the Alpine Convention

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The countries sharing this spectacular mountain range — Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Slovenia and Switzerland — met in Monaco on 5 and 6 November for the 39th meeting of the Compliance Committee of the Alpine Convention. The aim of this meeting was to assess the implementation of the commitments undertaken under the Convention and its Protocols.

The challenges facing the Alps are often transboundary in nature and can best be addressed through cooperation. A Party to the Convention since 1994, the Principality of Monaco plays an active role, alongside the seven other Alpine countries and the European Union, in efforts to promote sustainable development throughout the Alpine region. This territory, marked by a highly specific geography and distinct ecological vulnerabilities, requires effective coordination of supranational, national and regional policies to ensure a balance between economic development and nature conservation.

The Committee’s discussions focused mainly on the protection of soils in Alpine wetlands and peatlands, ecosystems that are particularly threatened across the region, yet play a vital role in biodiversity conservation and carbon storage.

Another key topic concerned the assessment of the compatibility of deregulation measures adopted by the European Union under the directive aimed at accelerating the deployment of renewable energy sources (RED III). The Committee concluded in its report that these measures are consistent with the provisions of the Alpine Convention, while recalling that they apply directly only to EU Member States.

Finally, the participants agreed on a new priority theme devoted to the protection of fragile Alpine areas.

This meeting provided an opportunity to reaffirm the steadfast commitment of Monaco and the Contracting Parties to the Alpine Convention to coordinated environmental governance and the sustainable management of Alpine territories.