The third Euregio Municipalities Day was held today in Brixen/Bressanone. At the invitation of the President of the Consortium of Municipalities of the Autonomous Province of Bozen/Bolzano and current President of the Euregio Council of Municipalities Andreas Schatzer, representatives from Tyrol, South Tyrol and Trentino met at the Forum in Brixen/Bressanone to further strengthen cross-border cooperation between municipalities.
This year's event focused on digitisation and artificial intelligence, which offer municipalities great opportunities to increase their efficiency and improve services to citizens. It is therefore important that municipalities actively use and further develop these technologies.
In a panel discussion, experts from the three regions discussed technological developments and their possible applications in municipalities. The event was also an opportunity to share experiences and create knowledge networks.
The event was attended by the current president of the Euregio and president of South Tyrol Arno Kompatscher, the president of the Autonomous Province of Trento Maurizio Fugatti, and the vice-president of Tyrol Georg Dornauer.
Kompatscher said he was pleased "that the Euregio municipalities are confronting each other across borders, identifying joint strategies for digitisation and artificial intelligence. Attention must be paid to this aspect, because AI offers many solutions, but it is also a technology with cold logic. Therefore, people must necessarily maintain constant control over AI. This is also and especially true for municipalities that seek solutions for their citizens at the local level."
"I believe it is important to put citizens at the centre of the reflection on artificial intelligence, because our municipalities are the first entities that know the needs and expectations of the population: it is a crucial challenge, which has to do with the future of our territories," commented the President of the Autonomous Province of Trento, Maurizio Fugatti, who also recalled the importance of constructive dialogue and effective cooperation between the territorial entities of the Euregio, which was also discussed on Autonomy Day, celebrated on 5 September. 'Cooperation between municipalities,' added the president of the Autonomous Province of Trento, 'must also serve to address the problems associated with the presence of large carnivores. Let there therefore be unity in listening to the cry of pain that comes from Trentino, bringing the instances of the territories to the attention of Europe'.
Publication date: 07/09/2024
