“10th Report on the State of the Alps: Quality of Life in the Alps” published!

Jul 11, 2025

Quality of life is a key topic to improve governance. The Slovenian Presidency (2023-2024) of the Alpine Convention set itself the objective to enhance the understanding of this concept and collect data for the Alpine region. Results are now out with the publishing of the 10th Report on the State of the Alps (RSA): Quality of Life in the Alps. The report is directed to policymakers on the transnational, national, regional, and local level, as well as to residents of the region, with a special attention to youth, networks, organisations, and professional associations.

The first chapter of the report tries to define the concept of quality of life and its most relevant indicators for the Alpine region. The second chapter outlines the results of a comprehensive study on these indicators. Results show that conditions in the region are “generally favourable”, with some space for improvement on housing, governance, and work conditions. The third chapter identifies the future challenges of securing a good quality of life in the Alps, such as climate change, demographic change, economic and political instability, and loss of biodiversity.

The remaining chapters link this data to the governance structure of the Alpine region, thus resulting in 7 policy recommendations:

  1. Acknowledge quality of life, its specific aspects and the need for inclusive participation in policymaking.
  2. Address the data gaps in the quality-of-life topic and further pursue research on quality of life in the Alps to support better policy and decision-making.
  3. Strengthen resilience n the Alps to sustain a good quality of life in the region.
  4. Ensure the provision of high-quality infrastructure and services to best meet people’s needs and the territorial specificities of the Alps while respecting the area’s ecological capacity.
  5. Support a socially and environmentally responsible Alpine economy.
  6. Foster responsible, sustainable, inclusive, and creative Alpine societies.
  7. Respond to the needs of the local communities in governance processes and encourage engagement of Alpine people in policymaking and spatial planning.

Quality of life is a central focus for the Interreg Alpine Space programme as well. The report references several impactful projects, past and present, that contribute to improving life in the Alps — including AlpSatellites, SmartVillages. Our newest project on the topic, GOVQoL, was launched in January, and it aims to strengthen local governance and embed quality of life considerations into policy-making processes, well aligned with the recommendations expressed in the reports.

This report is a vital resource for advancing governance and shaping a thriving future for Alpine communities. Dive in to learn more at this link.