How do you evaluate the todays European situation / the situation in the Alps-Adriatic region and what were the comments about the initiatives and activities of the AACC in the recent years?

The "New Europe" significantly and dynamically changed its political picture in the last ten years. The changes - also in the economy - were and always are feelable in the typical European Alps-Adriatic region where numerous initiatives endeavour to catch the actual time trends and to orientate them in the prosperous and at the same time balanced development of the perspectives impulses in the region. Among them the initiatives of the Alps-Adriatic Centre for Cross-border Co-operation (AACC) are for sure recognisable, we are establishing our actual informational network for 8 years-in the sense of the interests and demands and also for the well-being of our partners and economical innovations, what positive echos to our initiatives and activities confirm us continuosly.
It is possible to say that the AACC formation precisely fits the time challenges and that the AACC is faced nowadays with many new trends which co-form the picture of the region where we are active.

Where are the changes, which put us in front of the new challenges, recognisable, which answers should be given to these questions?

The cross-border cooperation between Austria and Slovenia has-without doubt-increased on all fields, at the same time it can be noticed that the places directly at the Slovenian-Carinthian border are exempt from this development. The trends of diminishing, moving away and aging of the population are not stopping in the Karavanke region. On one side it is a part of the global concentration process to the centers,however for the future of the"left" regions new perspectives, answers and accesses should be found.
The second challenge - which is also a part of the global process - is the financial and economic crisis.Since we should not neglect the long-term and for now even not recognisable events, the measures should be found and established-just in these regional dimensions-which are in principle not against the globalisation trends, however must be capable of the reaction to negative trends in the course of the globalisation. The AACC will- in cooperation with the local communities- find new and new challenges at the formation of regional orientated concepts and initiatives in the future, too.

Which are the main points of your activities and how far does the geographical bow of your Centre go?

16 Slovenian communities, which seek the contacts and know-how of the Austrian side, are members of the Centre. We offer them our experiences and excellent contacts-even to the level of country governments-what is of extreme meaning for new projects and cooperations. Our activity has expanded to Croatia (one important member is the community Mali Lošinj) and also to Cantons in Bosnia and Herzegovina (among others Posavina and Sarajevo).More than 50 companies are members on the Austrian side, some cooperations are in full course, for instance the Porr project in Goriška Brda.

The Austrian ORF is your member, too. The member of your board is its former general superintendant Gerhard Weiss, who was honoured by the AACC recently. What is the meaning of such personalities?

Since our future depends quite a lot from the ability to understand the changes in our surroundings and to form new accesses-and since the AACC also has the goal to overcome the today s economic and mental barriers of the region , the personalities as mr.Weiss are of extreme value for the penetration of our ideas and goals. The vice-president of the AACC is this year also the honorary speaker of the 17TH cultural week of Carinthian Slovenes in Krka (Gurk).
With such personalities the AACC is even more efficient in building the cooperation of Austrians and especially Carinthians with the inhabitants of the neighbourhood countries, in building of good neighbourhood relations, in the successful establishment of new partnerships and in the reinforcement of the existing ones.
In the frame of our contacts and with our specific knowledge we are primarly active as a lobbyist and catalisator and are in this way fulfilling successfully and efficiently our numerous projects.
The projects in the fields of alternative energy, waste waters and waste materials, agriculture, tourism and outdoor advertisment were already successfully carried out-as well as the links among many communities-what makes a firm future basis for the implementation of new modern and in the future orientated projects and cooperation.

Thank you very much for the discussion.