European Alliance for Mountains

Strengthening the voice of Europe’s mountain areas within European institutions

Mountain areas are essential to Europe’s future. Covering 36% of its surface and home to 13% of its population, they play a vital role in biodiversity, water resources, agriculture, renewable energy and cultural heritage. Yet, they continue to face specific challenges requiring targeted policy responses.

To address this gap, the European Alliance for Mountains was launched on 14 May 2025, bringing together Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and Members of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) committed to protecting, empowering, and investing in Europe’s mountain areas.

The Alliance is grounded in its founding Manifesto, “Mountains need Europe and Europe needs mountains”, which sets out its shared political vision and priorities. It is supported by Euromontana, which co-signed the Manifesto alongside its two co-chairs, Marie-Antoinette Maupertuis (Member of the European Committee of the Regions) and Herbert Dorfmann (Member of the European Parliament). While this Alliance is not connected with any governing body of Euromontana, Euromontana supports its objectives and acts as its Secretariat.

Objectives

The main objective of the initiative is to ensure the voice of mountain areas is better heard in European policy debates and the EU legislative process, and to foster cooperation between members of the two institutions, around a shared vision of mountain areas, drawn up in the founding Manifesto.

At the heart of this vision is the need to ensure the ‘right to remain’ in mountain areas, so that people can live, work, and thrive in these areas with equal access to opportunities and services. It also calls for dedicated EU strategies to make mountain areas more attractive, resilient, and sustainable, in line with the Long-Term Vision for Rural Areas. Finally, a core objective of the Alliance is to help fulfil the commitments of Article 174 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, which mandates special attention for regions with permanent geographic or demographic handicaps, including mountain areas.

By joining forces, the Alliance aims to translate this vision into concrete legislative and financial actions within European institutions.

The main functions of the Alliance are to:

Foster discussion on major EU policy and budgetary developments affecting mountain areas

Provide a platform for coordination between MEPs and CoR members on mountain issues

Help identify opportunities for cooperation ahead of key policy milestones in the 2024-2029 EU mandate

Secretariat and inquiries

Euromontana acts as the Secretariat of the Alliance.

To join the Alliance, interested members of the European Parliament and the Committee of the Regions should simply express interest by email to: guillaume.corradino@euromontana.org and jeffrey.moxom@euromontana.org .

Members of the Alliance

The Alliance brings together more than 20 Members of the European Parliament and Members of the European Committee of the Regions. The list below reflects only members who have already agreed to be publicly listed at this stage.