The Alps-Adriatic-Alliance or 40 years of interregional cooperation in Central Europe

20. November 1978: Foundation of the Alps-Adriatic Working Community (AAWC) in Venice (I) European Pioneer in Interregional Cooperation which operated in a “Crystallization Area for European Integration” Important Bridging Function between Members from Warsaw Pact-, Block Free-, Neutral- and NATO-Countries. Over 1.000 Common Projects where implemented until 2013

Founding Members of the AAWC

22. November 2013: Transformation of the AAWC into the Alps-Adriatic-Alliance (AAA) Goal: To provide a dynamic, flexible and low-threshold network structure for project related cooperation on the public as well as on the civil society level

Current Members: 3 Austrian Regions: Burgenland , Kärnten, Steiermark 7 Croatian Counties: Istra, Karlovac, Krapina-Zagorje, Koprivnica Križevci, Međimurje, Primorje-Gorski kotar, Varaždin 1 Hungarian County: Vas Slovenia represented by SKUPNOST OBČIN SLOVENIJE (SOS - Association of Municipalities and Towns of Slovenia)

Membership can be acquired by sending an application to the chairing member and the General Secretariat. It becomes effective by a resolution of the Alps-Adriatic Council.

Structure Alps-Adriatic-Council: Assembly of political representatives of all regular members. Meets every 2nd year. Chairman 2018/2019: Varaždin County Prefect Radimir Čačić (CRO)

Steering Committee: Consists of representatives from all Alps-Adriatic Contact Points and all Thematic Coordination Points (TCPs) plus the General Secretariat. It approves project applications and decides on the granting of financial aid from the common budget. Meets twice per year.

Alps-Adriatic Contact Points are installed at the regional administration of all regular members. The actual project-oriented work is coordinated by the Thematic Coordination Points (TCPs): Art and Culture (Coordination: Styria) Disaster Prevention (Coordination: Varaždin) Economy (Coordination: Vas) Energy and Environment (Coordination: Međimurje) Equal Opportunities (Coordination: Carinthia) Europe (Coordination: Burgenland) Healthcare (Coordination: Carinthia) Higher Education (Coordination: Vas) Inclusion (Coordination: Carinthia) Lifelong Learning (Coordination: Krapina-Zagorje) Rural Development and Ethnic Heritage (Coord.: Koprivnica Križevci) Sports (Coordination: Karlovac) Tourism (Coordination: Slovenia) The General Secretariat is installed at the Regional Government of Carinthia in Klagenfurt within the department for “European and international Affairs”.

The AAA supports three different project-categories: Preparation Costs of EU-co-financed Projects Costs for the Implementation of EU-co-financed Projects Joint Projects (People to People-Projects) Projects implemented since 2014: 212 among which were 19 projects co-financed by the EU-programs “Creative Europe”, “ERASMUS+” and “Europe for Citizens” While approx. € 20.000 were approved for the preparation costs of EU-co-financed projects the successful applicants “leveraged” approx. € 500.000,-- from EU-funds. Current sum of annual membership-fees: € 49.993,63

Project Examples: CAPE AB-Network for co-operation and democratic participation of citizens in the Adria-Balkan-Region

Echoes From Invisible Landscapes

Be Sporty – Live Healthy!

LEADER LAG-Workshop

“SIGG”- City security Conference

Contact details for the General Secretariat: General Secretariat of the Alps-Adriatic-Alliance Alps-Adriatic Contact Point Carinthia Regional Government of Carinthia Mießtaler Straße1 9020 Klagenfurt am Wörthersee AUSTRIA Tel.: +43(0)5 0536-10134 Mobile: +43(0)664/80-536-10134 E-mail: thomas.pseiner@ktn.gv.at abt1.alpeadria@ktn.gv.at www.alps-adriatic-alliance.org Thank You Very Much!