Dialogue on Alpine Spatial Planning: Proceedings of the CIPRA Annual Conference 2025

Energy — Aug 19, 2025
Magdalena Praun, CIPRA Austria

How can Alpine Spatial Planning mitigate conflicts between the energy transition and nature restoration? This question was addressed at the CIPRA Annual Conference 2025 in Salzburg, which brought together more than 160 participants. The proceedings show key insights and recommended actions – not in a concluding way, but as part of an ongoing learning process and as an impulse for further debates. They underline the shared understanding that the energy transition in the Alpine region must be approached and implemented in a cross-sectoral, interdisciplinary, and transboundary manner.

A common thread throughout all discussions was the importance of open-ended, transparent, and meaningful participation that complements but does not replace political responsibility. Spatial planning should increasingly be seen as a transformative and cross-sectoral field of action that integrates the local population, their needs, and their knowledge – with clear language, effective planning instruments, and binding legal foundations. Particular emphasis was placed on stronger legal and institutional frameworks for Green Infrastructure  or the parallel designation of renewables acceleration areas and exclusion zones. The Alpine Convention and EUSALP provide established instruments, networks, and platforms whose potential, according to participants, must be harnessed and communicated even more effectively.

From the conference discussions, spatial planning experts of the AlpPlan Network of the Academy for Territorial Development in the Leibniz Association and CIPRA derived normative policy and planning recommendations:

General recommendations for the energy transition in the Alps

  • Clear, transparent, and early participatory planning and permitting procedures
  • Making spatial planning processes and instruments understandable and accessible to the general public
  • A systematic perspective on the expansion of renewable energies that integrates the ecological and social functions of Alpine landscapes as well as the expansion of grid and storage capacities
  • Targeted safeguarding of open spaces, e.g. for restoration or climate change adaptation measures
  • Spatial specification of expansion targets for renewable energies and their alignment with other land-use claims

Recommendations for strengthening the coordinating role of Alpine Spatial Planning

  • Long-term, cross-border and cross-sectoral exchange formats; networking of practitioners from energy and spatial planning
  • Standardised and user-friendly data provision, digital platforms for information and data exchange
  • Prioritisation of energy efficiency, e.g. through the promotion of energy-efficient settlement structures and integrated building and energy solutions
  • Providing spatial planning authorities with additional financial and human resources

Specific recommendations for the implementation of RED III and the Nature Restoration Law in the Alps

  • Consideration of open spaces and traditional cultural landscapes in Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEA)
  • Consideration of ecological corridors, buffer zones, and biodiversity hotspots when designating exclusion zones, regardless of their legal protection status
  • Cross-border cooperation and permanent exchange forums for the implementation of RED III and the EU Nature Restoration Law
  • Use of the binding provisions of the Alpine Convention as a compass for the implementation of RED III
  • A paradigm shift in spatial planning towards the prioritisation of the protection and development of open spaces for future generations

In addition, the proceedings provide an overview of the relevant EU secondary legislation (EU Nature Restoration Law, Renewable Energy Directive – RED III) as well as national acceleration and deregulation acts and their implications for Alpine Spatial Planning, alongside the extensive preparatory work of the AlpPlan Network. As part of the 2025 EUSALP presidency programme, the results of the Annual Conference also form an important basis for further activities on Alpine Spatial Planning.