Mountain areas like the Highlands and Islands of Scotland are being disadvantaged by European State Aid regulations, a major international conference will be told later this month (November).

The claim came today (10th November) from Gaelle Lhermitte, the secretary-general of Euromontana, in the run up to the 4th European Mountain Convention.  Europe's major bi-annual mountain event takes place in Rodez in the Massif Central of France on the 25th and 26th of November and will call upon the European Union and the States of wider Europe not to overlook their unique mountain assets in their drive for growth.

More than 300 of Europe's mountain professionals will examine the precious but fragile diversity of mountain products and cultures that could provide the catalyst for the economic boost that the EU seek.  Euromontana - the European Association of Mountain Areas - who have organised the conference, embrace over 50 mountain organisations throughout wider Europe, including development and environmental agencies, farmer's organisations, regional authorities and technical institutes.  

Mountains cover 40 per cent of the surface of Europe and provide homes and livelihoods for 20 per cent of Europe's population.  Euromontana points out that it is the mountain areas that provide the extraordinary economic and cultural diversity of Europe, which they claim with prudent management and encouragement could provide Europe's unique selling point.

Gaelle Lhermitte said: "Europe is in danger of missing a trick and squandering a fragile comparative advantage in the world market if it does not produce a more coherent policy on mountain areas.

"The Commission's proposals in respect of regional funding for the period to 2013 do recognise the need for an increased level of European finance and support to mountain, island and sparsely populated areas but there are no similar proposals to provide a comparable relaxation of state aid restrictions.  These rules currently completely ignore the added costs experienced in almost every field of economic activity in mountain areas." 

Gaelle added: "We must be grateful of course that the need to mobilise mountain economies is being recognised but at the moment we are being offered a bicycle with only one wheel." 

The conference will discuss many issues besides structural funds and state aids and will be especially concerned to contribute to the current negotiation of the Commission's revised rural development proposals within the CAP regime.  Here the accent will be on the need to maintain production in fragile mountain areas in order to sustain the local products that can lead Europe's attack on the growing market for high quality, high value authentic foods and craft products. 

The event has attracted high level speakers from throughout Europe, including the Norwegian minister for local government and regional development, Erna Solberg the French minister of agriculture, Hervé Gaymard and both the deputy director general of DG Regio Michele Pasca-Raymondo and the deputy director general of DG agriculture, Dirk Ahner.