International Tibet Network’s 2018 European Regional Meeting will take place from 29 June to 1 July in beautiful Bolzano, in the autonomous South Tyrol province of Northern Italy.

There is absolutely no substitute for face to face meetings to strengthen connections and relationships between everyone working for Tibet in our region.  Network Regional Meetings are great opportunities to strategise campaigns, learn new skills, benefit from expert briefings, find campaign partners and recharge batteries.

We are therefore delighted to open registration for the Network’s 8th European Regional Meeting, which will take place at the Headquarters of EURAC Research in Bolzano, at the kind invitation of Network Co Chair Günther Cologna and Associazione Italia Tibet. The meeting will run from noon on Friday 29 June, until around 2pm on Sunday 1 July 2018.

Register here: www.goo.gl/forms/gGKkBA2bXkxBLIT83 or in the embedded Google Form below.

Accommodation: Tibet Network has reserved a number of twin (2 beds) and single rooms at the Kolping Haus (Hotel) www.kolpingbozen.it/ , address: Adolph-Kolping Street 3, I-39100 Bolzano

Venue: The meeting will be held in the conferencing facilities at EURAC Research, which is a 7 minute walk across the river. www.eurac.edu/, Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bolzano. EURAC is a private research institution that focuses on four main research areas: autonomies, mountains, technology and health. Evening meals will be taken at our hotel on one night and at a restaurant in the town on the second night.

Costs: Total costs for two or three nights’ accommodation & breakfast (Friday & Saturday/plus Thursday or Sunday) at Kolping Haus, plus 3 lunches – Friday to Sunday inclusive – and 2 evening meals, will be as follows:

* Twin room: Two nights @ 184 Euros / Three nights @ 234 Euros (meals as above)

* Single room: Two nights @ 212 Euros / Three nights @ 276 Euros (meals as above)

* Meals only for those who prefer to book your own accommodation (for example at Bolzano’s Youth Hostel www.ostello.bz/) – the cost is 83 Euros per person (meals as above, but please note that breakfast is not included).

How to Pay: There are two ways to pay: either online via https://tibetnetwork.org/donate/ (choose Euros as currency) or by Bank Transfer to:

Account Name: International Tibet Network
Account Number: 65080078
Sort Code: 08-92-99
IBAN GB62 CPBK 0892 9965 0800 78, BIC/SWIFT CPBKGB22

Bursaries: Tibet Network has 10 travel bursaries available, each worth 350 Euros. This amount is higher as we anticipate many people will wish or need to stay for 3 nights (see below). Please indicate on the Registration Form if you want to apply for a bursary. Priority will be given to Tibetan Communities, Groups from Eastern Europe and Groups that made a membership contribution in 2017. Those receiving a bursary are asked to make sure they can attend the whole meeting. Otherwise it’s first-come, first-served, so register soon. Please note that we cannot give more than one bursary to any single Group.

Agenda: We want to hear what you would like to see on the Agenda. We are very keen to get a short list of campaign priorities agreed ahead of the meeting, so that we spend our time talking about issues that we know Groups are planning to work on! We will also continue our collaborative workshops and arrange training sessions that meet your needs, so please tell us what your Group would find most useful.

About Bolzano: Bolzano – also called Bozen, is in the Alps, the gateway to the Dolomites. It is set in a valley among hilly vineyards and has a medieval centre, at a confluence of Italian and German-Austrian culture. It’s a beautiful place for a short break or longer holiday, and with the additional transport time required, we strongly recommend that you plan to stay for three nights.

Transportation: This will be a bit of an adventure, since Bolzano’s tiny airport only takes charter or the occasional domestic flight. The city can most easily be reached from the following cities, in order of proximity, and all of which have frequent international flights:

* Verona in Italy – 90 minutes approx by direct bus from the airport, or 90 minutes by train from Verona centre. The train appears to be cheaper. For the bus, go to the website www.altoadigebus.com.

From the information available online there seems to be a stop virtually next to the hotel (Bozen Dantesrabe Museion, which on the timetable appears as Bolzano Via Dante Museion. There are also stops on Viale Druso and Via Marconi that look pretty close. The first is Drusasallee EURAC (on the timetable as Bolzano Viale Druso EURAC). The next is Bozen Verdiplatz Stadttheater Bushaltestelle (on the timetable as Bozen Verdiplatz Stadttheater Bushaltestelle). You presumably need to tell the driver where you want to get off. See https://www.altoadigebus.com/informations/stops-south-tyrol.html for a list of stops.

* Bergamo Airport (Milan) – 3hrs15 direct by FlixBus https://global.flixbus.com/

* Innsbruck in Austria – 1hr45 direct bus from the airport, or approx 2 hours by train from Innsbruck centre.

* Munich in Germany – 4.5 hours direct bus from the airport, or train from Munich centre.

For more information about direct bus connections to Bolzano from Verona, Innsbruck or Munich airports see www.altoadigebus.com/ or FlixBus https://global.flixbus.com/

Walking Route between Kolpinghaus and EURAC.