1. The Convention shall cover the Alpine region, as described and depicted in the Annex.

2. Each Contracting Party may, when depositing its instrument of ratification, acceptance or approval or at any time thereafter, extend the application of this Convention to additional parts of its national territory by making a declaration to the depositary, the Republic of Austria, provided that this is necessary to implement the provisions of the Convention.

3. Any declaration made under paragraph 2 may, in respect of any national territory specified in such declaration, be withdrawn by a notification addressed to the depositary. The withdrawal shall become effective on the first day of the month following the expiration of a period of six months after the date of receipt of such notification by the depositary.

Article 2: General obligations  

1. The Contracting Parties shall pursue a comprehensive policy for the preservation and protection of the Alps by applying the principles of prevention, payment by the polluter (the 'polluter pays' principle) and cooperation, after careful consideration of the interests of all the Alpine States, their Alpine regions and the European Economic Community, and through the prudent and sustained use of resources. Transborder cooperation in the Alpine region shall be intensified and extended both in terms of the territory and the number of subjects covered.
2. In order to achieve the objective referred to in paragraph 1, the Contracting Parties shall take appropriate measures in particular in the following areas:
   
   1. population and culture the objective is to respect, preserve and promote the cultural and social independence of the indigenous population and to guarantee the basis for their living standards, in particular environmentally sound settlement and economic development, and promote mutual understanding and cooperation between Alpine and extraAlpine populations;
   
   2. regional planning the objective is to ensure the economic and rational use of land and the sound, harmonious development of the whole region, particular emphasis being placed on natural hazards, the avoidance of under and overuse and the conservation or rehabilitation of natural habitats by means of a thorough clarification and evaluation of landuse requirements, foresighted integral planning and coordination of the measures taken;
   
   3. prevention of air pollution the objective is to drastically reduce the emission of pollutants and pollution problems in the Alpine region, together with inputs of harmful substances from outside the region, to a level which is not harmful to man, animals and plants;
   
   4. soil conservation the objective is to reduce quantitative and qualitative soil damage, in particular by applying agricultural and forestry methods which do not harm the soil, through minimum interference with soil and land, control of erosion and the restriction of soil sealing,
   
   5. water management the objective is to preserve or reestablish healthy water systems, in particular by keeping lakes and rivers free of pollution, by applying natural hydraulic engineering techniques and by using water power, which serves the interests of both the indigenous population and the environment alike;
   
   6. conservation of nature and the countryside the objective is to protect, conserve and, where necessary, rehabilitate and natural environment and the countryside, so that ecosystems are able to function, animal and plants species, including their habitats, are preserved, nature's capacity for regeneration and sustained productivity is maintained, and the variety, uniqueness and beauty of nature and the countryside as a whole are preserved on a permanent basis;
   
   7. mountain farming the objective is, in the public interest, to maintain the management of land traditionally cultivated by man and to preserve and promote a system of farming which suits local conditions and is environmentally compatible, taking into account the less favourable economic conditions;
   
   8. mountain forests the objective is to preserve, reinforce and restore the role of forests, in particular their protective role, by improving the resistance of forest ecosystems mainly by applying natural forestry techniques and preventing any utilization detrimental to forests, taking into account the less favourable economic conditions in the Alpine region;
   
   9. tourism and recreation the objective is, by restricting activities harmful to the environment, to harmonize tourism and recreational activities which ecological and social requirements, in particular by setting aside quiet areas;
   
   10. transport the objective is to reduce the volume and dangers of interAlpine and transAlpine traffic to a level which is not harmful to humans, animals and plants and their habitats, by switching more traffic, in particular freight traffic, to the railways in particular by providing appropriate infrastructure and incentives complying which market principles, without discrimination on grounds of nationality,
   
   11. energy the objective is to introduce methods for the production, distribution and use of energy which preserve the countryside and are environmentally compatible, and to promote energysaving measures;
   
   12. waste management the objective is to develop a system of waste collection, utilization and disposal which meets the special topographic, geological and climatic requirements of the Alpine region, paying particular attention to waste avoidance.
    
3. The Contracting Parties shall agree upon Protocols laying down details for the implementation of this Convention.

1. Regular meetings of the Conference of Contracting Parties shall he held to discuss the common concerns of and cooperation between the Contracting Parties.
   The first meeting of the Alpine Conference shall be convened a year after the entry into force of this Convention at the latest by a Contracting Party to be determined by agreement.
2. Subsequently, ordinary meetings of the Conference shall normally be convened every two years by the Contracting Party holding the chair. The chairmanship and location shall change after each ordinary meeting of the Conference. Both shall be determined by the Alpine Conference.
3. The Contracting Party holding the chair shall propose the agenda for the meeting of the Conference. Each Contracting Party shall have the right to have other items included on the agenda.
4. The Contracting Parties shall forward to the Conference information on the measures which they have taken in implementation of the Convention and the Protocols to which they are a Contracting Party, subject to national laws on confidentiality.
5. The United Nations, its specialized agencies, the Council of Europe and all European countries may take part in the meetings of the Conference as observers. The same applies to crossborder associations of Alpine territorial authorities. In addition, relevant international nongovernmental organizations may be admitted to the Conference as observers.
6. Extraordinary meetings of the Conference shall be held by consensus or if a written application has been made to the presiding Contracting Party by one third of the Contracting Parties between two ordinary meetings.
   problemi di interesse comune delle Parti contraenti e la loro collaborazione formano oggetto di sessioni a scadenze regolari della Conferenza delle Parti contraenti (Conferenza delle Alpi). La prima sessione della Conferenza delle Alpi viene convocata al più tardi un anno dopo l'entrata in vigore della presente Convenzione, da una Parte contraente designata di comune accordo.

1. it shall analyse the information submitted by the Contracting Parties in accordance with Article s (4) and report to the Alpine Conference;
2. it shall collect and assess documents with regard to the implementation of the Convention and Protocols, together with Annexes, and shall submit them to the Conference for examination in accordance with Article 6;
3. it shall inform the Alpine Conference about the implementation of the Conference's decisions;
4. it shall prepare programmes for meetings of the Conference and may propose items for the agenda as well as other measures relating to the implementation of the Convention and is Protocols;
5. it shall appoint Working Groups to formulate Protocols and recommendations, in accordance with Article 6 (e) and coordinate their activities;
6. it shall examine and harmonize the contents of draft Protocols from an overall point of view and propose them to the Conference;
7. it shall propose measures and recommendations for the achievement of the objectives contained in the Convention and its Protocols to the Conference.

Article 10: Amendments to the Convention

Any Contracting Party may submit proposals for amendments to this Convention to the Contracting Party presiding over the Conference. Such proposals shall be communicated to the Contracting Parties and signatory States by the Contracting Party presiding over the Conference at least six months before the Conference meeting at which they are to be considered. Amendments to the Convention shall come into force in accordance with Article 12 (2), (3) and (4).

Done at Salzburg on 7 November 1991 in the German, French, Italian and Slovene languages, each text being equally binding, the original text shall be deposited in the Austrian State archives The depositary shall send a certified CODV to each of the signatory States.