The next meeting of the European Committee for Technical Interregional Coordination of the Via Francigena will take place in Reims, on Friday 12 December. A new page focused on this Committee and related activities, programmes, documents and meetings is available on the EAVF website
In 2012 in the framework of the European project “PER VIAM” the European Association of the Vie Francigene (EAVF) in cooperation with Tuscany Region and Champagne-Ardenne Region started fostering a coordinated dialogue on a European scale among the 14 European regions of the Council of Europe cultural route of the Via Francigena, from Canterbury to Rome (Kent; Nord-Pas-de-Calais; Picardy; Champagne-Ardenne; Franche-Comté; Vaud; Valais; Aosta Valley; Piedmont; Lombardy; Emilia-Romagna; Liguria; Tuscany; Lazio). Moreover the 4 Italian regions south of Rome (Campania; Molise; Basilicata; Puglia) were also included in this process, in view of the application for the extension of the Council of Europe certification to the section Rome-Apulia (towards Jerusalem).
Objectives of the ECTIC and main steps undertaken. The Committee aims to facilitate coordinated and effective actions for the development of the route in each territory through a common European approach, the exchange of good practices, the achievement of shared solutions about the implementation of safety measures, the signage, hospitality and accommodation, joint events, coordinated information and communication, which will constitute the Euro Master Plan of the Via Francigena while assuring the transnational continuity necessary to keep the Council of Europe cultural route mention.
A Memorandum of Understanding among the European Regions of the Via Francigena was agreed on the occasion of two interregional meetings, which took place in Florence (IT), in May 18th 2012 and in Châlons-en-Champagne (FR) in January 24th 2013. This Memorandum delineates the main axes of cooperation among the European regions for the full accessibility of the Via Francigena.
The European Committee for Technical Interregional Coordination was consequently created and it is comprised of one or two delegates of each Region that subscribed to the Interregional Memorandum of Understanding.
The meeting in Foggia (IT) in October 18th 2013 kicked off the works of the Committee, while the meetings in Brussels (BE) in December 13th 2013 and in Milan (IT) in June 27th 2014 outlined the Action Plan 2014 and established the working methodology for its realization, by means of three thematic working groups on Path, Accommodation and Services, Communication and Promotion.
Il prossimo incontro è previsto a Reims, il 13 dicembre, in occasione della presentazione della rivista “Via Francigena and the Pilgrimage Ways”.
E’ possibile trovare maggiori informazioni sulla piattaforma online all’interno del sito AEVF, il quale raccoglie documentazione, piano delle attività, protocollo di intenti e sintesi dei lavori fin qui svolti
The ECTIC convene twice a year.
More information on the EAVF Committee webpage