The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mr Edmondo Cirielli, took the floor at the annual General Assembly that closed the Italian Presidency of the European Union Strategy for the Alpine Region 2022 (EUSALP), which began in January 2022. The event was attended by the Presidents of the Autonomous Provinces of Trento and Bolzano, Maurizio Fugatti and Arno Kompatscher, respectively.
Bringing greetings on behalf of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Antonio Tajani, and thanking Presidents Fugatti and Kompatscher for their commitment during the Presidency, Deputy Minister Cirielli stressed that the “Italian Presidency has fulfilled its role, wanting to tangibly support cooperation in the Alpine region, a goal the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has contributed to by supporting and coordinating with all the central Administrations – in particular with the Department for Cohesion Policies of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers – and with all the Italian regions and local authorities involved in the strategy”.
The Italian Presidency took action by pursuing three priorities: strengthen strategy governance; raise awareness of the alpine ecosystem’s fragility, making the energy transition and the fight against climate change the core elements of the agenda; give more space and visibility to young citizens in the alpine macro region.
While reasserting the Farnesina’s staunch commitment in favour of the EUSALP Strategy, Deputy Minister Cirielli handed the Presidency over to Switzerland, wishing Christian Rathgeb (Chairman of the Conference of Cantonal Governments) well in his work, on behalf of the Italian Government.