2003 - Alpine Crossing Exchange presented to the EU

The Alpine Crossing Exchange project, which was launched in 2002, was presented to various bodies by Alf Arnold and Toni Aschwanden of the Alpine Initiative and the logistics expert Bryan Stone from Basel. They travelled to Bregenz, Innsbruck and Salzburg to lobby for the project, visiting the relevant authorities, the Austrian Chamber of Commerce (Handelskammer), the Austrian Trade Association (Industriellenvereinigung), the Secretariat of the Alpine Convention, and the media. The idea was received with interest. In the summer, Alf Arnold was able to present the project to EU officials in Brussels, where it was met with interest but also much scepticism. In the spring, the Swiss Federation mandated the companies RappTrans and Ecoplan to conduct a study on the Alpine Crossing Exchange. This is due to be completed by the end of 2004.