MOVING organised its Final Conference, an event that marked the culmination of our 4-year project journey! The grand-finale took place on the 13th (afternoon) and 14th (morning) of June 2024 in Brussels, Belgium. Have a look at the agenda.

The MOVING Final Conference aimed to bring together policy-makers, research institutions, mountain organisations, and other relevant stakeholders. Together, we underscored the key role of rural and mountain areas in achieving Europe’s political objectives and targets for 2030. We also presented MOVING’s policy roadmap to unlock the power of mountain value chains, especially in the post-2027 programming period.

Presentations:

1. MOVING Project, an Amazing Four-Year Journey | Mar Delgado (UCO & MOVING Coordinator) 

2. Keynote speech – The long-term vision for EU’s rural areas: key achievements & ways forward | Mario Milouchev (Director at Directorate D “CAP Strategic Plans II”, DG AGRI, European Commission)

3. Challenges in Rural and Mountainous Europe | Nuno Guiomar (University of Évora)

4. Value Chain Contribution to Sustainability and Resilience | Mar Delgado (UCO & MOVING Coordinator) 

5. Value Chains for Sustainable Mountain Development: Strategies for Upgrading and Innovation | Kirsty Blackstock (James Hutton Institute)

6. Strategic Options, Seeds for Long-term Changes | Dominique Barjolle (Origin for Sustainability)

7. Genossenschaft Gran Alpin | Chloé Berli (GrainAlpin and MOVING Regional Partner from the Swiss Alps)

8. Towards a Policy Roadmap for “Unlocking the Power” of Mountain Product Value Chains | Mark Redman (Highclere Consulting)

A few weeks are left to the European Parliament’s elections and the set-up of the discussions for a proposal of the post-2027 EU policies. The last MOVING EU MAP webinar “Towards a Policy Roadmap for Vibrant Mountain Economies”, organised online on 8 May 2024, from 10.00 AM-12:00 PM (CET), took place in this crucial moment to reflect on the future of EU policymaking and its priorities. Have a look at the agenda.

This webinar contributed to raising the voice of >900 mountain actors consulted by the MOVING project, and the need to better integrate mountains in the EU political agenda. During the event, key experts provided an overview of trends and proposals likely to govern the post-2027 policy developments in the EU’s mountain areas.

Hence, the MOVING project unveiled its proposal for Strategic Options and a policy roadmap to ensure that rural and mountain areas are not excluded from EU’s future policy development. The webinar contributed to validating and enriching both elements, which will be presented during the MOVING Final Conference (13-14 June, Brussels- Belgium).

The event is co-organised by the ELIF Community on Territorial Development.

Presentations and recordings:

1. The MOVING Project: An Overview, Mar Delgado (UCO) | Presentation, Video

2. The long-term vision for rural areas: key achievements and ways forward, Silvia Nanni (DG AGRI – European Commission) | Presentation, Video

3. Post-2027 territorial development policies, András Balazs Szechy (European Parliament Research Service)

| Presentation, Video

4. Strategic Options for Vibrant Mountain Economies, Dominique Barjolle (ORIGIN) | Presentation, Video

5. MOVING Policy Roadmap, Mark Redman (Highclere Consulting) | Presentation, Video

6. Roundtable: Feedback on MOVING Policy Roadmap + Closing remarks | Video

• Guillaume Corradino, Euromontana
• Michael Schmitz, Council of European Municipalities and Regions
• Klaus Boele, EU Committee of the Regions, NAT Commission
• Moderated by Carla Lostrangio, European Association for Innovation in Local Development

7. The European Local Innovation Forum (ELIF) | Presentation

From April 29 to May 3, 2024, the MOVING Spring School 2024: Explore Mountain Sustainability event took place in Valposchiavo Valley, Switzerland. Led by academics and experts, this unique event illuminated the intricate values of mountain value chains and addressed the pressing challenges facing these majestic landscapes.

The objectives of the event were to:

• Exchange ideas, share experiences, and co-create innovative solutions that will shape the future of mountain sustainability.
• Delve into the main challenges and vulnerabilities facing mountain landscapes and communities in the era of climate change. Gain insights into innovative solutions and resilience strategies that are shaping the future of mountain regions.
• Develop a strategic long-term vision to ensure the sustainable development and resilience of mountain ecosystems and communities.
• Explore local initiatives and engage in discussions on how to adapt and replicate these strategies in other mountain regions and socio-ecological systems.
• Craft policy recommendations for sustainable mountain areas.

Sessions:

• MOVING Conceptual Analytical Framework, Emilia Schmitt (Origin for Sustainability) | Presentation, Video
• MOVING case study on Gran Alpin value chain, Carmen Forrer (ZHAW) | Presentation
• Designing the future of mountains: MOVING approaches to Foresight exercises, Dominique Barjolle (Origin for Sustainability) | Presentation, Video
• Bridging regional development and sustainability, Cassiano Luminati (Polo Poschiavo) | Presentation
• Mountain policies, application, and scaling-up, Mark Redman (Highclere Consulting) | Presentation, Video

Innovative initatives from the territory:

• Ravioli 100 % Valposchiavo
• Maire de Poschiavo
• Cassiano Luminati
• Francesco Vassella – 100 % Bioposchiavo
• Diego Rinaldo

In the framework of the Horizon2020 MOVING project, AREPO, Euromontana and oriGIn EU hosted a conference on April 10th, 2024 (14:00 – 19:30), at the Committee of the Regions in Brussels, Belgium. The event gathered EU Institutions, Regional governments, Producers of mountain and of Geographical Indications (GIs) products, and EU stakeholders from the agri-food sector, to discuss the new EU legal framework for Quality Products.

The focus was placed on the impact of the changes introduced by the new GI and quality terms regulation and the opportunities they open up. Above all, participants discussed the place of EU geographical indications and quality products in the future CAP and the role they play in the sustainable development of our rural and remote areas.

A session was devoted to the implementation of the Optional Quality Term ‘Mountain Product’, the most recent among EU quality schemes. Within MOVING, AREPO together with HCC and Euromontana worked on a survey to report the state of the art of the implementation of the OQT Mountain Product across EU. The main results and the policy recommendations elaborated were presented during the conference, to discuss how to strengthen this OQT and how to increase its added value for the ecological resilience, attractiveness and socio-economic development of mountain areas.

Presentations and recordings:

1. Welcome address

2. Introduction to the MOVING project, Mar Delgado (UCO) | Presentation, Video

3. Making the most of the new EU GI Regulation, Diego Canga Fano (Director in charge of Outreach, Research & Geographical Indications, DG Agri, European Commission) | Video

4. Round table, moderated by Angelo Di Mambro, Agrifood Editor at Euractiv | Video

• Anne Sander, MEP and shadow rapporteur for the GI revision, Quaestor of the European Parliament
• Irène Tolleret, MEP and shadow rapporteur for the GI revision, European Parliament
• Sébastien Breton, member of oriGIn EU and General Delegate of the Conseil National des Appellations d’Origine Laitières (CNAOL)
• Federico Moncunill, member of oriGIn EU and Secretary General of the Regulatory Council of the PGI Jijona and PGI Turrón de Alicante
• Alessio Mammi, Regional Minister for Agriculture of Emilia-Romagna
• Katerina Zografu, Vice-governor of Central Macedonia Region

5. Conclusive remarks

• Paolo De Castro, MEP and rapporteur for the GI revision, European Parliament | Video
• Nicola Bertinelli, President of the Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano Reggiano | Video

6. Implementation of the EU optional quality term “mountain product”

• Guillaume Corradino, Director of Euromontana | Presentation, Video
• Giulia Scaglioni, Policy officer of AREPO | Presentation, Video
• Celine Keidel, Deputy Head of Unit, Unit F.3 – Geographical Indications, DG AGRI, European Commission | Video

7. National case studies

• Cătălina Rogozan, Highclere Consulting (Romania) | Presentation, Video
• Angelo Romagnoli, mountain producer of Parmigiano Reggiano PDO, Caseificio Canevaccia (Bologna – Italy) | Presentation, Video
• Yves Grandemange, dairy farmer in the Vosges mountains and member of the FNPL (Fédération Nationale des Producteurs de Lait – France) | Video

8. Conclusions, Charles Deparis (President of oriGIn EU and President of the producer organisation of Camembert de Normandie and Pont l’Évêque) | Video

The MOVING project organised a scientific conference focusing on the environmental challenges and prospects for sustainable mountain regions. The event was held in Cordoba, Spain, from Tuesday, March 19th to Thursday, March 21st, 2024.

We welcomed all mountain enthusiasts eager to explore the transformative power of mountains and their value chains in shaping resilient and sustainable futures. This scientific conference offered a unique opportunity to exchange insights derived from MOVING findings and integrate your perspectives on these different sessions:

• Environmental Challenges of Mountain Areas
• Value Chain Contribution to Resilience and Sustainability
• The Future of Mountain Areas

On 11 January 2024, MOVING organised a significant foresight exercise at the European level. This event took place at the Representation office of Toscana and Pays de la Loire Regions, in Brussels, Belgium.

The European workshop brought together experts and stakeholders to discuss scenarios and policy options at the European scale. The goal was to draw conclusions that will support the best local and regional scenarios for sustainable development and resilience in mountain areas across Europe. This event marked a crucial step in consolidating the results of local case studies conducted in 23 regions, with a focus on benchmarking mountain regions’ resilience and sustainability performance and exploring innovative approaches to secure the long-term provision of public goods.

Have a look at the agenda.

Presentations:

1. Introduction to the MOVING project, Mar Delgado (UCO)

2. Foresight Results from the MOVING Regions and Archetypes, Dominique Barjolle (ORIGIN)

3. European Agenda for the Mountains:

• Isabel Carvalhais (European Parliament and Member of the RUMRA & Smart Villages Intergroup)
• Arianna Pasa (European Commission – DG Agriculture and Rural Development)

4. Existing Mountain Policies:

• Rosalaura Romeo (UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Mountain Partnership)
• Thomas Bunel (Commissariat de Massif Pyrénées, French National Agency for Territorial Cohesion (ANCT))
• Bernat Claramunt (Ecological and Forestry Applications Research Centre (CREAF))

5. Strategic Options and Initiatives for Mountains (workshops):

• Economy Archetype – Highlands, David Miller (HUTTON)
• Economy Archetype – ‘Terra Thessalia’ (GR), Theodosia Anthopoulou (Panteion University) and Dimitris Goussios (Univeristy of Thessaly)
• Nature Archetype – Valposchiavo, Paola Gioia (Kedge Business School)
• Nature Archetype – Bieszczady (PL), Paweł Chmieliński (Polish Academy of Sciences IRWIR PAN / ERDN)
• Knowledge & Innovation Archetype – Seeds’ Valley Tereny, Zoltán Dezsény (Seeds’ Valley Ecological Farm at Terény, HU)
• Knowledge & Innovation Archetype – CEDD-Agro-Eco-Clim in Switzerland, Olivier Girardin (FRI)
• Niche & Diversification Archetype – Southern Romanian Carpathians, Alina Alexa (HCC)
• Niche & Diversification Archetype – Biovallée, Hugues Vernier (Val de Drome)
• Strategic options and initiatives for Mountains – SHERPA, Elodie Salle (Ecorys)

MOVING organised the workshop: Unlocking the Power of Mountain Value Chains. The event was held from the 6th to the 8th of November 2023 in Hungary, and it gathered around 100 local actors from 16 countries.

The MOVING Clusters workshop was organised as part of the cross-case comparison of value chains and the foresight exercise. It aimed to identify gaps, discuss implications, and co-create recommendations for enabling environments in mountain areas, with a strong focus on the resilience and sustainability of value chains.  

Participants explored five major topics addressed by the MOVING clusters — (i) social and demographic change, (ii) value and quality products, (iii) innovation and infrastructure, (iv) nature and ecosystem services, and (v) governance— integrating regional foresight exercises and fostering exchanges between stakeholders.

The key objectives of the workshop were: 

• Introduce and discuss the results of the MOVING project and their relevance to the future of mountain areas.
• Provide the opportunity to get to know, and share experiences with people from other mountain regions with similar interests and concerns to your own.
• Involve you in identifying what is needed from our communities, businesses and policy-makers to “unlock the power of mountain products” for supporting the future of mountain areas.

MOVING organised its third European Multi-Actor Platform (EU MAP) webinar on 5 October 2023, from 10 AM-12:30 AM (CET). The topic of the event was focused on the constraints and opportunities of protected natural sites for mountain value chains.

The objectives of the webinar were:

• Provide an update about the Nature Restoration Law in Europe;
• Provide information on the protection of nature in the mountains;
• Explore the findings of MOVING’s study on how the presence of protected natural sites impacts value chains across the 23 mountain regions;
• Exchange knowledge, practices, and lessons learned on the implications that the presence of protected areas has on mountain value chains;
• Present the MOVING project’s progress and results, and publicize the EU MAP.

Have a look at the agenda.

Presentations and recordings:

1. MOVING progress and results, Mar Delgado (UCO)

| Presentation, Video

2. MOVING Cluster on Nature and Ecosystem Services, Tomáš Uhnák (CZU)

| Presentation, Video

3. Nature Restoration Law: progress & updates, Kenny Meganck (IEEP)

| Presentation, Video

4. National Restoration Plans & implementation at the Member State level, An Cliquet (University of Ghent, SER Europe Legal Working Group)

| Presentation, Video

5. Stocktaking from the World Network of Mountain Biosphere Reserves, Roberto Aquerreta (WNMBR)

| Presentation, Video

6. Results from the MOVING study: impacts of protected natural sites in MOVING mountain value chains, Blanca Casares (AEIDL)

| Presentation, Video

7. Sheep pasture farming in the Nature Park Almenland, Sandra Karner (IFZ)

| Presentation, Video

8. Testimonial from the Southern Romanian Carpathian Mountains value chain, Alina Alexa (Highclere Consulting)

| Video

9. Wrap-up round table, Tommaso Campedelli (scientific coordinator of LIFE ShepForBio) and Stefano Sala (UNIMONT and member of Euromontana)

| Video

MOVING organised an European Multi-Actor Platform (EU MAP) webinar on 8 November 2022, from 9.30 to 1.15 (CET), on European Quality schemes: the added value for mountain value chains.

The objectives of the webinar were;

• Find out more about MOVING project results and the EU MAP;
• Provide an update of the new EU quality policy, according to the EC legislative proposals;
• Inform about the implementation and added value of the EU quality schemes and the implications for mountain value chains;
• Enhance the exchange, learn and interact at the EU level on the application to mountain value chains.

Have a look at the agenda.

Presentations and recordings:

1. MOVING: first half of the project – progress and results, Mar Delgado (UCO)

| Presentation, Video

2. MOVING Community of Practice and the EU Multi-Actor Platform, Miranda García (AEIDL)

| Presentation, Video

3. New EU quality policy and the implications to mountain value chains, Branka Tome (DG AGRI – Unit F.3 Geographical Indications)

| Presentation, Video

4. AREPO’s position and policy recommendations on the EC proposal on the revision of EU GIs, Francesca Alampi and Giulia Scaglioni (AREPO)

| Presentation, Video

5. Implementation of the EU optional quality term “mountain product”, Guillaume Corradino (Euromontana)

| Presentation, Video

6. Serra da Estrela PDO Cheese value chain, Catarina Esgalhado (University of Evora)

| Presentation, Video

7. Alto-Molise Dairy value chain, Raiza Rocha (University of Molise)

| Presentation, Video

8. Trento PDO Wine value chain, Ekaterina Kleshcheva (VINIDEA)

| Presentation, Video

9. Sjenica lamb PDO value chain, Tamara Zivadinovic (MENA Group)

| Presentation, Video

And if you want to learn more about this topic, check out these articles!

• The revision of the EU Geographical Indications system by Francesca Alampi (AREPO).
• Interview with Lukas Flinzberger (University of Göttingen) about Protected Designations of Origin and correlations with social-ecological landscape values.
• Farm certification schemes for sustainable agriculture: specifications for origin and quality of the final products by Blanca Casares (AEIDL).
• FAO guide to learn how to tailor the evaluation for the development and improvement of Geographical Indication by Giulia Scaglioni (AREPO).

Please, do not hesitate to contact mga@aeidl.eu (Miranda García) for further information.

In June 2022, took place the Pisa 2022 14th International Conference of European Society for Ecological Economics (ESEE).

Multi-Actor Platforms / Living Labs are increasingly considered by innovation policies as drivers of transformative change. Indeed, the interaction between stakeholders is supposed to generate innovation adapted to the needs of users and their context and to promote inclusion.

DESIRA, MOVING and SHERPA H2020 projects organised a special session in the ESEE 2022 Congress about Living Labs & Multi-Actor Platforms in rural areas: conceptualisation and case studies. It was an opportunity to share experiences in this field and to reflect on how to consolidate methods and concepts around this approach.

MOVING organised an European Multi-Actor Platform (EU MAP) webinar on 16 December 2021, from 10:00 to 12:00 (CET).

Participants came together to:

• Find out more about MOVING project results and the EU MAP, and
• Get to know some of the specific traditional or emerging value chains working on innovation and climate change resilience in the MOVING project.

Have a look at the agenda.

Presentations and recordings

1. MOVING: first year of progress and results, Mar Delgado (University of Córdoba) | Presentation, Video
2. MOVING Community of Practice and the EU Multi-Actor Platform, Blanca Casares (AEIDL) | Presentation, Video
3. Los Pedroches PDO Iberian Ham value chain, Sherman Farhad (University of Córdoba) | Presentation, Video
4. Speyside Malt Whisky value chain, Kirsty Blackstock (The James Hutton Institute) | Presentation, Video
5. Certified ecotourism Southern Romanian Carpathian Mountains value chain, Cătălina Rogozan (Highclere Consulting) | Presentation, Video

Please, do not hesitate to contact bca@aeidl.eu (Blanca Casares) for further information.