The Development Agency
Role and missions
Backed by a dedicated team and an annual budget of over 4 M€, it carries out promotional and development initiatives to support businesses and regions.
As the 2030 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games approach, the Agency remains on course to transform its strengths into opportunities, foster positive change, and establish the Hautes-Alpes as an attractive, sustainable region that is proud of its identity.
10 years
of attractiveness
“Our future is in our hands.” It was with these words that Jean-Yves Dusserre, President of the Department, first proposed the idea of the Hautes-Alpes Development Agency. A few months later, in 2015, a public interest group, commonly known as ADDET, was established. That was 10 years ago already!
The Hautes-Alpes have never lacked assets or talent, yet the decade from 2015 to 2025 will remain a pivotal moment in our history, despite repeated national and international crises. In recent years, the people of the Hautes-Alpes have succeeded in turning divisions into unity, fatalism into high standards, and inferiority complexes into pride—transforming what had long been perceived as the region’s weaknesses into strengths.
The summit of Aiguilles de Chabrières
The Hautes-Alpes is one of the highest departments in France, the best-preserved in the Alpine arc, the “water tower” of Provence, one of Europe’s leading sources of renewable energy thanks to hydropower, and the leading organic department in France, a region, a tourist destination, and a beautiful place where life is good. Many people know this, but few truly understand the changing drivers of development in this vast, sparsely populated department.
10 years
unit
Over the last ten years, tourism and agriculture, the pillars of our wealth and identity, have taken a quantum leap forward, while remaining sober and sustainable. At the same time, the local economy has become much more diversified: three out of every ten private-sector jobs are now inagri-food, renewable energies, construction,aeronautics or lightindustry. Just one step to the side, despite tensions and a very unfavorable national context, the health and care professions are holding their own. So many reasons for satisfaction, even if we mustn’t forget the distress of some or the housing crisis which is holding back demographics and the settlement of young working people. The trajectory of microeconomic indicators between 2014 and 2024 proves this (departmental GDP grew by +50.3%). This is no accident, but the fruit of a shared vision and a collective effort.
The Development Agency is a unique organization that serves as a bridge between local governments and businesses. We work alongside you, cutting through red tape, to foster collective initiatives, organize industry clusters, support business activity, enhance the appeal of businesses and regions, and promote the Hautes-Alpes. We do this with foresight at a time when climate change is taking a toll on natural environments and human activities, by encouraging transitions and tirelessly seeking a balance between preserving and enhancing our exceptional natural environment—our greatest asset—so that we can continue to do business and live here.
10 years
of ambition
With the 2030 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in our sights, we will continue our efforts with enthusiasm and determination, succeeding and building a legacy that lives up to everyone’s expectations if we remain united, mobilized and ambitious. Filled with hope, an immense future is opening up before our very eyes, so let’s take it by the handful.
A new paradigm
Strike the right balance between preserving and enhancing the exceptional natural environment that is the Hautes-Alpes’ greatest asset. Going even further in the ecological transition.
“Our responsibility: to find a balance between preserving and enhancing an exceptional natural environment.”
Roadmaps
- Tourism
- Agriculture
- Economy
- Professions and organization
- Activity report
