Arge Alp

The members of the Community are: for Germany the Free State of Bavaria, for Austria the Länder of Vorarlberg, Tyrol and Salzburg, for Italy the Autonomous Provinces of Bolzano and Trento and the Lombardy Region, for Switzerland the Cantons of Grisons, St. Gallen and Ticino.

The priority areas of interest of the Working Community are:

• the safety and development of the Alpine area as a high-quality living and recreational space, through the protection of the environment and the preservation of the ecological balance
• the harmonisation of spatial planning methods and objectives;
• the coordination of the planning of infrastructure measures for transalpine rail and road traffic;
• the intensification of economic cooperation, especially with the aim of creating new jobs;
• the protection of the rich cultural heritage, while promoting contemporary artistic creation;
• the protection of health and the promotion of the family;
• the promotion of European integration.

The supreme body of Arge Alp is the Conference of Heads of Government. The member countries take turns in the presidency each year following, in principle, alphabetical order. The last Arge Alp Presidency of the Autonomous Province of Trento took place in the period October 2024 - October 2025.

The Conference sends opinions and recommendations to federal and central governments, European cooperation bodies and other interested institutions.

The current President, the Presidents of the previous and next rounds (Vice-Presidents of Arge Alp) form the Community Bureau. The Bureau meets as often as deemed appropriate to deal with common contingent problems.

The Steering Committee, consisting of leading officials from the different Länder/Regions/Provinces/Cantons, is responsible for the preparation of the Conferences of Heads of Government and the implementation of their decisions. It meets three times a year in plenary session.

For the actual implementation of the work programme, project groups are set up with technicians and specialists in the various topics.

The promotion of Arge Alp's activities is in the hands of the Public Relations Group consisting of the heads of the press offices, or their representatives, of the individual members.

The Arge Alp Secretariat is based in Innsbruck. At the provincial level, the Linguistic Minorities and External Relations Service provides support to the Department of Institutional Affairs, Anti-Corruption and Transparency for the Autonomous Province of Trento's participation in the interregional, cross-border and transnational bodies and associations to which it belongs. In particular, it takes care, in accordance with the guidelines of the General Manager, of operational tasks and relations and liaison activities with the other competent provincial structures within the Arge Alp alpine communities working community.