Register for the 2024 European Mountain Convention!

Building prosperous, resilient, connected and stronger mountain economies 

Mountain economies are based on economic sectors that are the beating heart of mountain areas, provide employment to mountain communities and essential ecosystem services to the society at large, and are often embedded in territorial identities and values. 

However, our economies face a number of economic, social and environmental challenges, exacerbated by the geographical constraints of mountain areas. Climate change is calling for a new approach to mountain tourism, depopulation is destabilising certain sectors and prompting territories to rethink their strategies for attracting workers, and access to housing and land is holding back development in other regions. But the transitions underway also offer great opportunities for our local economies. The promotion of mountain products can encourage more sustainable consumption, the relocation of certain sectors can create jobs locally, digital technology can contribute to modernising traditional sectors and entrepreneurship can drive the revitalisation of the most rural mountain areas. From the Carpathians to the Alps, the Pyrenees, Caucasus or Scandinavian mountains, participants from all over Europe will be joining Puigcerdà to exchange ideas and build a shared vision of mountain economies. 

Around these challenges and opportunities, the Convention will address a number of issues that are central to the European Union’s Vision for Rural Areas and the event will contribute to building more prosperous, resilient, connected and stronger mountain economies.

Giving European mountain communities a voice 

In response to these various challenges, mountain stakeholders from all over Europe are invited to gather and share their experiences, draw inspiration from the successes of other territories and reflect on political and practical solutions to shape together the future of mountain economies. 

The 2024 edition of the Convention will be more participatory than ever to amplify the voice of mountain people. There will be plenty of time for participatory workshops, collective thinking and networking. From regional and local authorities to civil society associations, farmers, researchers, development agencies or Local Action Groups, the Convention is an inclusive and multi-stakeholder event that gives a voice to all. 

Stakeholder participation is also encouraged in the run-up to the event! An online consultation is open on the European Rural Pact’s mountain communities group to start gathering views from local communities on 8 of the key themes of the event.

What to expect? 

Interactive discussions on how to overcome the challenges and seize the opportunities of mountain areas are a staple of the European Mountain Conventions, and the programme will feature several interactive workshops aimed at finding solutions to a range of issues, including:

• How to bring more value to mountain agricultural products?
• From raw materials to processing: how to bring the secondary sector back into mountain territories?
• How to tap into the potential of digitalization for mountain economies?
• How to foster entrepreneurship?
• Working with nature: can nature be a business partner?
• Working for nature: how to quantify and remunerate ecosystem services from agro-pastoral activities?
• What makes mountain communities tick? Is it only about access to services?
• Overcoming barriers to attractiveness: how to tackle housing and access to land?
• Beyond the local: how to take advantage of rural-urban linkages to build prosperous and resilient mountain economies?