Representatives from Austrian and Czech forestry, veterinary, emergency and administrative authorities met to strengthen cross-border cooperation along the Upper Austrian–South Bohemian border. The meeting highlighted that cooperation already works well in some regions, while in others—particularly in the Freistadt district—clear contacts and responsibilities are still missing.

Participants exchanged information on forest management structures, legal responsibilities and existing personal networks. Key topics included cross-border forest management issues, African swine fever prevention, wildlife and hunting legislation, disaster response (storms and forest fires), and cooperation in veterinary services. Existing initiatives such as the INTERREG project FirefightersCoop and the AT–CZ Small Project Fund were presented as practical tools to improve coordination and legal certainty.

The meeting underlined the importance of local contacts, clear points of responsibility and overcoming language barriers. As next steps, both sides will compile concrete cases where cross-border contacts are needed and identify the relevant authorities, with the aim of improving day-to-day cooperation and keeping joint contact maps up to date.