Reconnecting in times of disconnection. Challenges and opportunities in promoting shared economic and innovation strategies across the alpine space

Ivan Ureta (1)

1 SUPSI - Scuola universitaria professionale della Svizzera italiana = University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland [Manno]

Currently the European Union and its fully-fledged members are experiencing the most challenging times since its inception. The EU’s building-process was conceived as an ideological, economic, social and institutional effort geared to facilitate connections and exchange at multiple levels. Alpine countries and both the development and implementation of their cooperation and integration strategies and mechanisms have been embedded within the same strategies. Nevertheless, in parallel to this complex process of multi-layer integration, regional specificities and requests have been challenging the implementation of common policies and governance systems. This tension and cleavage has been growing since 2008 as a consequence of the economic and financial meltdown. Populist anti-immigration political parties have been gathering momentum and their influence is spreading also among countries of the alpine space. In this vein, both nation-states and regions are increasingly demanding more autonomy and independence. The ongoing migration crisis is deepening and worsening this trend and existing policies and cooperation agreements are being jeopardised. Recent examples of borders closure and blockage among countries which are part of the existing alpine protocols and policies are evidencing this disintegration process. Therefore the possibilities of trans-border cooperation and socio-economic promotion may collapse.

Mots clés: innovation; alpine space

Domaines: Sciences de l'Homme et Société

Ivan Ureta. Reconnecting in times of disconnection. Challenges and opportunities in promoting shared economic and innovation strategies across the alpine space . La montagne, territoire d'innovation, LabEx ITEM (Innovation et Territoires de montagne) Jan 2017, Grenoble, France. ⟨halshs-01446256⟩