EU Local Councillors at the heart of a walking dialogue in Tyrol at the European Forum Alpbach

A mountain hike became the setting for European dialogue on Saturday 29 August, when participants set off from the Congress Centrum Alpbach towards Alpengasthof Rossmoos. The Walking Dialogue placed EU Local Councillors at the centre of an informal exchange with representatives of the European Committee of the Regions, the European Commission, local and regional politicians, students and young scholarship holders from the European Forum Alpbach. 

Kata Tüttő, President of the European Committee of the Regions and Anton Mattle, Governor of Tyrol, member of the European Committee of the Regions and host of the citizens’ dialogue, joined participants throughout the program, speaking informally with EU Local Councillors and other participants along the way and at a mountain hut on how to bring the EU closer to its local and regional communities as well as about current priorities, common challenges and ways to foster stronger cooperation in shaping, implementing and communicating European policies and initiatives. 

The European Commission was represented by Richard Kühnel, Director for Representation and Communication in Member States, and Patrick Lobis, Head of the European Commission Representation in Austria. Away from the usual conference setting, the 45-minute hike through the Alpine landscape offered participants an opportunity for open and informal conversations  

At Alpengasthof Rossmoos, the dialogue turned explicitly to the cooperation between the European Committee of the Regions and the European Commission. Petr Blížkovský, Secretary-General of the European Committee of the Regions, and Richard Kühnel discussed the current state of the EU Local Councillors network and how to further expand it. 

The hike served as the centrepiece of a broader two-day programme. Under the motto “Strong regions. Strong Europe. together!”, EU Local Councillors were invited not only to participate at the Walking Dialogue, but also to participate in several other sessions on 29 and 30 August. The forum provided different entry points for local representatives to engage with European and regional policy debates, including minority governance, balance between security and rights and cross-border cooperation and EU funding opportunities. 

Founded in 1945, the European Forum Alpbach is one of Europe’s long-standing platforms for dialogue. In 2026, almost 5.900 participants from around the world were expected to attend around 250 sessions over 12 days, while bringing together around 700 young people from more than 60 countries. Against this backdrop, the Euregio Days offered the EULC network an opportunity to connect local democratic experience with a wider European debate – and demonstrated in practice how cooperation between the European Committee of the Regions, the European Commission and local councillors can help bring Europe closer to its communities.